Article contributed by David Allen
Science fiction is a misunderstood genre, at least among “mainstream” audiences. Many look at the shiny baubles of advanced technology, of alien life, of the speculative future and believe that these are the essence of the genre. This understanding of science fiction, however, barely scratches the surface.
Many writers have even fallen into this trap, focusing too much on the science and not enough on the human element. Eric Glover, however, is not one of those authors. Based on his new graphic novel Black Star, he understands the essence of science fiction. At its best, science fiction is an examination of the human condition.
An “unknown” creative team
Glover studied screenwriting at Sarah Lawrence College and feature and television writing as a 2016 Final Draft Big Break Fellow in Burbank, California. His screenplay for Black Star went unproduced until he decided to turn it into his debut graphic novel.
Arielle Jovellanos is a New York-based freelance illustrator, writer and comic artist. Her work has been featured in the Eisner and Harvey-nominated anthology Fresh Romance, among several other publications. Most recently, she illustrated Fierce Heroines: Inspiring Female Characters of Pop Culture.
Neither Glover nor Jovellanos are what the insular world of comic book readers would consider superstars of the genre. Despite this, or maybe because of it, their collaboration has produced a deeply special graphic novel.
A mission of healing
Scientist Harper North is a woman on a mission: to travel to the planet Eleos with a small team to recover an alien flower. The plant holds the key to curing cancer. Her ship, however, is caught in an asteroid storm and crashes on Eleos. North survives and has to brave 100 kilometers of alien wilderness to reach a reserve shuttle fit for one passenger.
She is shocked to discover she is not the only survivor of the crash. The team’s wilderness expert, Sam Parrish, is also making her way toward the shuttle. The race is on to see who can reach the shuttle first, and who will be left behind to die in the inhospitable summer of Eleos.
A story with layers
What appears, on the surface, to be a tale of survival reveals itself to be much deeper and more complex. How much of North and Parrish’s race for the shuttle is about survival? How much is revenge? What about that flower that may cure cancer? Is either woman willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good?
That, ultimately, is the core of Black Star. What truly lies at the core of each of the two women? Who are they, deep down? What is their essence; altruistic or selfish?
A complex pair of characters
Much like real people, North and Parrish are characters with a history, even though the reader is not privy to it. Still, there are tantalising clues. In one flashback, North implies that Parrish is only there for the money. North herself repeatedly proves herself aloof and rubs much of her fellow crew the wrong way.
In the course of their race for survival, each character makes telling decisions. North is unskilled outside of a lab, but a quick thinker. Parrish is more self-assured, but not without weaknesses North can exploit. As each pushes the other further and further toward the point of no return, trickery and manipulation abound.
Is North the protagonist, the hero of the story? Is it Parrish? Glover blurs those lines and creates a morally complex, deeply human story set on an alien world.
The right artist for the story
Glover’s script absolutely sings, but without the steady hand of Arielle Jovellanos, Black Star wouldn’t be nearly as successful. If she were an actor, critics would call her work on Black Star a star-making performance. She guides the visuals of the story with a deft, sure hand that never fails to captivate.
Jovellanos, much like Glover, simply gets science fiction. The visuals of the alien planet, captivating as they are, and the technology that the characters utilise are just window-dressing. The characters are the key, and Jovellanos pours her best efforts into North and Parrish. Both characters are amazingly expressive, cycling through a series of facial expressions that perfectly communicate their inner lives.
Glover makes the wise choice to trust Jovellanos with several stretches of story without dialogue. Many first-time comic book writers are unsure of their artists and therefore overwrite the dialogue and captions. Glover deftly avoids this trap and Jovellanos rewards his trust with some of the most emotionally riveting sequences of Black Star.
Legitimate criticism
Admittedly, for some readers, Glover’s willingness to not explain every little piece of the story, of letting silence and Jovellanos excellent artwork do the heavy lifting, can be difficult. Some readers prefer every element of a story spelled out for them; some prefer so-called “exposition dumps”. Those readers may not enjoy Black Star as much.
Those readers who view stories like an artifact they are slowly, carefully exhuming, however, will find much to love in Black Star.
Representation matters
Glover has made no secret out of the fact that he is committed to writing about underrepresented groups. Black Star is a fantastic step in that direction. North travels to Eleos with an all-female crew. Two of the characters are clearly LGTBQ. North herself, based on the art, is African American.
These kinds of science fiction stories invariably feature a predominantly male cast of characters. Glover’s approach is, in a word, refreshing. More importantly, however, it feels completely organic. There is nothing gimmicky about the make-up of the cast; it simply is.
The one left behind
The nature of Black Star means that, by the end of the story, one of these characters will die. How this dilemma shakes out is surprising, but what it reveals about the characters is truly shocking. Like all great science fiction stories, Black Star puts its characters first.
For that reason alone, Glover and Jovellanos’ excellent graphic novel deserves to find a readership.
Black Star is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Black Star? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Stranded on an alien planet, two astronauts must battle deadly elements and each other to recover a reserve shuttle built for one
Black Star is a debut graphic novel by Eric Anthony Glover, based on his original unproduced screenplay, and illustrated by Arielle Jovellanos. In the future, interstellar travel is past its prime and sending shuttles beyond our solar system—even for vital scientific research—is a life-threatening gamble. However, in order to retrieve samples of an alien flower that may hold the key to saving countless lives, Harper North and her crew of scientists must journey to Eleos, a dangerous planet in deep space.
But as they approach Eleos, their ship is caught in an asteroid storm and as it hurtles towards the surface, its reserve shuttle detaches, landing over 100 kilometers away. When the rest of the crew perishes in the burning wreckage of the ship, North races towards the rescue shuttle built for one, hoping to fulfill their mission and survive.
But North isn’t alone: The team’s wilderness expert is still alive and hell-bent on hunting North down and claiming the shuttle for herself.
Now, North has no choice but to reach the shuttle first—and fast. The fuel is leaking. Her GPS battery is dying. And the planet’s deadly seasonal change is coming. As she battles the flora and fauna and tries to elude her ruthless former crew mate, North will find the cost of survival is dear . . . Will she be willing to pay that price?
