How do astronauts have sex in space? Relationships among the Clarke crew are explored, while a signal from a mysterious asteroid provides clues to the nature of the alien presence in Earth’s solar system. On Earth, intrigue deepens as one of President Blades’ closest advisors suffers a savage attack!

Mixing science fiction and politics this series made it onto my “best of 2013” list as one of the best new series of the year. Issues like this is a prime example why I’m totally behind this series and why writer Charles Soule is one of the hottest writers in the comic industry (and one of the hardest working people too).

Lets start with the science fiction. We found out in the last issue, one of the crew members was pregnant. With such few people, on such a long mission, clearly some issues are going to arise when it comes to pairing off. That comes up as we learn a bit more about the crew, including the “controversial” sex in space scene. The science fiction aspect is also awesome as some contact is made with the unknown aliens. What does their signal mean? That’s all debated and next steps are decided.

Back on Earth, President Blade reflects on his first two months in office where he hasn’t achieved what he has wanted to. His agenda sounds pretty similar to the current real world’s President and there’s discussion with his Chief of Staff as to what he can do about it. That leads to a pretty gutsy political decision, but how will the President’s other advisers react to that? Political intrigue!

Artist Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque balances the artistic needs of scenes set in a science fiction setting of space as well as those quieter more down to Earth moments as well. He does both masterfully bringing Soule’s tightrope balancing script to life.

If you’re a sci-fi fan, buy this book. If you’re a fan of politics, buy this book. If you like great concepts and original comics, buy this book. Pretty much, you should buy this book.

Story: Charles Soule Art: Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque
Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy