The prison planet is often an overlooked setting for science fiction adventures.  Although well established within the genre as a place to launch some heroics, it is one which arguably has never had a standout or famous story told within its confines.  Somewhat surprisingly therefore there are at the moment two separate titles set on prison planets, both Cluster and Bitch Planet.  Invariably the two will be compared to one another with a similar story line of female protagonists being sent to a serve a sentence which they maybe did not deserve, except by the rules of a broken future society.  While Bitch Planet looked to make a point in terms of its stance on feminism, Cluster seemed to be making a similar statement as well, which made comparing the two all the easier.  With the second issue of Cluster though, it is evident that the comparisons between the two should stop, save for the surface details.

The story picks up from the last issue, except with some added intrigue.  It is revealed that Samara is more valuable to her captors than she first thought.  As the daughter of a politician that is opposed to the space prison, she is being used as a political tool more so than as a soldier.  The only problem is that she is still missing after the accident in the previous issue.  As her group struggles to find its way back, a search party is sent out to rescue her, although it is not even entirely clear if rescue is the desired goal.  As she continues her journey over the planet’s harsh surface she discovers that there is more to what is being told to her than she assumed.

This issue builds where it needed to, and develops some extra plot elements to add some deeper meaning to the plot.  While it is deserving of some recognition for its story and characters, the overall effect is less than stellar.  It is still a readable story, but is far from a standout in terms of the science fiction genre that is available on the market at the moment.

Story: Ed Brisson Art: Damian Couceiro
Story: 7.9 Art: 7.9 Overall: 7.9 Recommendation: Read

Boom! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review.