Review:Â Far Sector #11
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â N.K. Jemison
Art:Â Jamal Campbell
Color:Â Jamal Campbell
Letters:Â Deron Bennett
Reviewed by:Â Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Jo, along with ousted Councilor Marth get to the bottom of the internal plot against City Enduring and it turns every faction against each other resulting in utter chaos!
Positives
As always, Jemison includes some commentary on the real world. In Far Sector #11, it’s voting rights and how certain rules make it harder to vote for those people who already have difficulty. It fits perfectly within the scope of the story and is topical for the reader. When a work of fiction addresses a topic like this it succeeds when it makes the reader think. And, there is no doubt that this situation will make the reader think.
There’s an intricate web of intrigue at the heart of the political structure of City Enduring. This issue pulls a little bit of it apart to reveal not only the “big bad,” but how the different factions within the City, be they one of the three races or just one’s position as an officer in the CEPD have conflicting allegiances. Jemison gives a few specific examples of individuals who are facing these conflicts, making it real.
On page one we are treated to communication by the Guardians of the Universe about the significance of City Enduring. This finally reveals what’s been a mystery from the beginning, why is City Enduring so important and why would they send a single inexperienced Green Lantern for the job?
Positives Cont’d
This is the eleventh issue of this series and Jemison and Campbell are still working on the world building. The nature of the sky screen that protects City Enduring from radiation is depicted in its raw form with the radiation providing the background. Instead of a sky, it’s a bleeding red-orange veil that fits the scenes of chaos and conflict perfectly.
Negatives
If there’s a negative for Far Sector #11 or for the series as a whole it’s the fact that there’s so much content and new ideas and names that it’s hard to keep up over the month to month publishing schedule of a periodical. Truly, this will be eliminated when it is in a collected edition. Plus, it’s gotten even harder as this series has switched to a bi-monthly publishing schedule. All the world building is great, it’s unique and fresh, but not always easy to get into.
On another note, the end of this issue felt a little rushed. Sure, next issue is the finale so we’ve got to get there, but the last page seemed to be lacking a bit. The final page felt a little wasted as a full page splash with nothing more than a “next issue Jo saves everyone!”
Verdict
While the pacing of this series sometimes feels off, there’s no doubt this will be an incredible read as a single volume. For the most part the deficiencies can be worked through as there are so many fantastic elements in this series. That doesn’t mean don’t buy Far Sector #11, but rather a reminder to collect them all so they may be read together at the reader’s pace like a novel not beholden to publishing schedules.
