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geekwayne's review
3.0
Eddie Wallace, aka Sprout, has just signed on to the crew of the Carole Ann as their new navigator. He's taken under the wing of crew mate Marilyn Jones and works for feisty captain Cagney. His first trip out is supposed to be a routine trip to Mars, but captain Cagney has other plans and the crew ends up on a long range pick up on Europa. Once they arrive in Europa, they find that there is no cargo to pick up, and things are not as they seem.
John Byrne did the art and it's quite good, but perhaps a bit familiar by now. Captain Cagney reminds me a bit too much of Puck from the Alpha Flight comic, but it's nice to see a range of character types in a story like this. There are strange images and amazing space vistas.
The set up felt a bit like Forbidden Planet, and I felt like the set up worked better than the resolution for me. There are some surprises along the way, and I always like a good SF story, so I found it quite a lot of fun.
John Byrne did the art and it's quite good, but perhaps a bit familiar by now. Captain Cagney reminds me a bit too much of Puck from the Alpha Flight comic, but it's nice to see a range of character types in a story like this. There are strange images and amazing space vistas.
The set up felt a bit like Forbidden Planet, and I felt like the set up worked better than the resolution for me. There are some surprises along the way, and I always like a good SF story, so I found it quite a lot of fun.
eoghann's review
2.0
The High Ways is one of comics legend John Byrne's latest books. Which he both writes and draws. Which is either good or bad depending on how much you like John Byrne I suppose.
There's no doubt that his impact on comics in the 70s, 80s and 90s was substantial. But his visibility has dropped significantly over the years although he has continued to work primarily at smaller publishers like IDW. To my mind this book shows both the good and bad points of Byrne's more recent work.
In terms of story telling clarity and just basic cartooning _The High Ways_ is hard to beat. It's easy to follow, there's no confusion about what's going on or who is who. The man undoubtedly knows his craft. The book looks like a John Byrne book in every way you might expect.
But that's also a problem because this book looks dated. The panel layouts, the vast numbers of word balloons, the character's clothing. It feels like something from the 80s or early 90s. And this is 2013.
That dated feel extends to the dialogue as well. Everything is explained. Everything. Part of it may be Byrne wanting to emphasize the details, risks and complexities of space flight, but it reminded me of a 1950s style sci-fi pulp novel.
The notion that even a rookie navigator would be so ill prepared for space that every single little thing would have to be explained to him in detail doesn't really stand up. And yet that's exactly what we are presented with.
The story begins as a "Welcome to space rookie!" adventure and then we start to get mysteries, twists and more twists. So it develops nicely and keeps you guessing effectively. But at the same time we get no depth to the characterization at all. We really don't feel for any of these characters even when they are betrayed. Because they're all a walking cliche. Grouchy captain who only cares about money; rookie; cynical veteran. There's even an evil scientist in the mix!
I didn't dislike the book. It's competently done. It just feels like something from another time.
There's no doubt that his impact on comics in the 70s, 80s and 90s was substantial. But his visibility has dropped significantly over the years although he has continued to work primarily at smaller publishers like IDW. To my mind this book shows both the good and bad points of Byrne's more recent work.
In terms of story telling clarity and just basic cartooning _The High Ways_ is hard to beat. It's easy to follow, there's no confusion about what's going on or who is who. The man undoubtedly knows his craft. The book looks like a John Byrne book in every way you might expect.
But that's also a problem because this book looks dated. The panel layouts, the vast numbers of word balloons, the character's clothing. It feels like something from the 80s or early 90s. And this is 2013.
That dated feel extends to the dialogue as well. Everything is explained. Everything. Part of it may be Byrne wanting to emphasize the details, risks and complexities of space flight, but it reminded me of a 1950s style sci-fi pulp novel.
The notion that even a rookie navigator would be so ill prepared for space that every single little thing would have to be explained to him in detail doesn't really stand up. And yet that's exactly what we are presented with.
The story begins as a "Welcome to space rookie!" adventure and then we start to get mysteries, twists and more twists. So it develops nicely and keeps you guessing effectively. But at the same time we get no depth to the characterization at all. We really don't feel for any of these characters even when they are betrayed. Because they're all a walking cliche. Grouchy captain who only cares about money; rookie; cynical veteran. There's even an evil scientist in the mix!
I didn't dislike the book. It's competently done. It just feels like something from another time.
scostner's review against another edition
3.0
Eddie Wallace takes a job as navigator of a space freighter and finds out that his first trip will be an eight month haul to Europa. When they finally arrive, it seems that someone has pulled a hoax on his captain and their contract was a joke - there is no delivery for them to pick up and take back to Earth. They refuel the ship and leave the research station only to find a stowaway in one of their cargo pods. Just as they are dealing with that, they get hijacked. It seems that the crew is going from bad to worse to even worse than that. This has bits that remind me of "Moonraker" and "Outlander." There are secret identities, scams, mysterious motives, double-crosses, ships, space stations, alien life forms...The action and intrigue is nonstop. It is definitely for mature audiences due to some of the language and sexual content.
If you like a spy thriller/action/space opera combo, then give this a try.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
If you like a spy thriller/action/space opera combo, then give this a try.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
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