At the edge of the galaxy, there is a guidance beacon, a spaceship, a small self-sustaining space station. It keeps space travel on track in the midst of wormholes. It’s the site of Image Comics’ Jules Verne’s Lighthouse.
Lighthouse, the comic mini-series, is based on an adventure novel by Jules Verne. Written in 1901, it was published in 1905, after the author’s death. The Lighthouse At The End Of The World was set in an actual lighthouse in the South Atlantic, beset by pirates.
Issue #1 is a bright light and a brilliant read. Writers David Hine and Brian Haberlin start with a similar premise to the Verne original, but set it in space, where the lighthouse inhabitants are stationed for life. There is no daily ship arriving with fresh milk and cookies. But there ARE pirates. At the lighthouse, the three humans, one alien, and a nanny bot are not prepared for the arrival of Captain Kongre and his gang of cutthroats. And now, the keepers of the flame need to decide how to survive the vicious times ahead!
The writing is mature, witty, and professional. The narrative brings us in, coddles and amuses us, then drags us kicking and screaming for more. It’s fun, it’s shocking, it’s bracing, it’s all in the pacing. The dialogue is solid, the story development is above and beyond the typical sci-fi tale.
Brian Haberlin also illustrates Lighthouse. His style here is high realism, reminding us of 3D gaming rendering. His panels are juxtaposed, overlapping, tumbling, leaving white space, the emptiness of outer and inner space. The faces, the textures and lighting (colour by Geirrod Van Dyke), and the cinematic points of view are amazing. This is a truly well-rendered comic. Lettering is by Francis Takenaga.
The first issue is extra length: 50 pages of content! Highly entertaining, great value, and highly recommended!
Image Comics/Shadowline/Anomaly: Jules Verne’s Lighthouse, $4.99 for 50 pages of content. Mature readers
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