Ascender, Volume 1: The Haunted Galaxy: 04/07/20

Ascender, Volume 1: The Haunted Galaxy by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen is the start of a new series that builds on the story arc completed in the six book series, Descender. As of this review, I haven't read any of the original books but plan to rectify that before I review Ascender, Volume 2.

It's ten years later and magic has replaced technology. More precisely, magic has systematically destroyed and banned technology. There are some refugees and they live on the fringe of the fringe. Everyone else is beholden to Mother.

Mila, the daughter of Andy and Effie from the previous series lives in the wilds with Andy. She spends her time exploring the wilderness until she tries to head into town. Trouble follows her home in the form of a robot.

The rest of book one is Andy and ultimately Effie's flight. They need to leave the area that had been safe for them. Their journey is padded with backstory, which I gather should serve as either a clips episode for important pieces from Descender or as a bridging piece between the series.

Having come to Ascender without reading Descender, I will admit to being confused in spots. Early on, I was also unimpressed by the artwork. Many of the characters seemed interchangeable to me. It took until the last third or so before I was actually invested in the plot and characters.

Three stars

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