Captain Olivier knows himself to be a man of unimpeachable integrity. A man who does whatever it takes to bring democracy to the galaxy, which means doing whatever it takes to protect the lives of his crew, which means doing whatever it takes to keep his ship far, far away from the battle raging at the Bungo Straits. A democracy without someone flying the cargo runs is no democracy at all. Space Job #2 continues the laughs as Captain Oliver does everything he can to not have to follow his boss’ orders.

Written by David A. Goodman, Space Job #2 at its heart is a workspace comedy. While the setting might remind us of Star Trek, the reality is, the comic could be set pretty much anywhere and still work.

Goodman, through various storylines, focuses on the things we experience as workers. There’s the boss who is overbearing. There’s the boss who’s there to cash a paycheck and not listen. Then there’s the staffer who is underappreciated and looking to change jobs. And then there’s that weird guy… Though it takes place in space, it’s still relatable, as it’s all things we’ve been forced to deal with in various ways. This is a basically a comic that takes situations you’d experience in every office and puts it on a spaceship. The perfect example is the staffer who’s attempting to leave and thrown a promotion their way to stay. A promotion they don’t really want and just means more work covering for an inept boss.

The art by Álvaro Sarraseca continues its subtle visual jokes but also there’s a bigger emphasis on the emotion of the staff. With color by Jordi Escuin Llorach and lettering by Mauro Mantella, there’s less of a focus on those quick background jokes, and instead there’s more physical comedy of the characters and how they interact, especially some negative interactions. It puts a bit more drama into things but also switches up what we need to pay attention to.

Space Job #2 is a solid second issue showing the debut wasn’t a fluke. The comic is very smart, taking digs at our work reality instead of being another homage/spoof to Star Trek. It’s well worth getting, especially if you need a good laugh. Here’s hoping it can keep it up.

Story: David A. Goodman Art: Álvaro Sarraseca
Color: Jordi Escuin Llorach Letterer: Mauro Mantella
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.85 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

After five long years of soul-crushing servitude as a chef’s assistant, Danny Sheridan is getting his dream job in space as First Officer aboard the SS George H.W. Bush. But on his first day he finds himself crashing back to reality. Nothing seems right, the crew is subpar . . . something’s going on, and First Officer Danny Sheridan is going to get to the bottom of it or die trying. For those that have read Space Job #1, you’ll know why that description is so funny. The debut, and series, is the latest in Star Trek riffs, going in the complete comedy direction, and it’s fantastic.

Written by David A. Goodman, Space Job #1 is a great debut. It’s been a while since I laughed so much and so often at a comic. This is one where the jokes keep coming and you’ll really laugh out loud. It’s twisted in all the right ways introducing us to a starship crew where everyone you kind of want to slap.

Goodman kicks off the series focusing on newly promoted First Officer Danny Sheridan. Promoted from a chef’s assistant to such a high ranking one, Danny is a douche. He’s everything we should hate in leadership as he goes through his head as to how shitty he’s going to treat the crew. He justifies how he’ll harass his yeoman. He discusses how he’ll bust down a crew member for how he was talked to. He’s an asshole. And, you hope he gets what’s coming. And what’s coming is… unexpected.

Goodman delivers a debut that keeps the readers on its toes. Space Job #1 is fantastic with each character introduced and how over the top they are and silly their situations are. The comic really delivers the laughs.

Álvaro Sarraseca‘s art helps nail down those laughs. With color by Jordie Escuin Llorach and lettering by Mauro Mantella the comic visually generally plays things straight. Generally. That’s what’s great about the art and story as a whole. It’s so silly at times but it’s all played out straight. Visually, there’s a joke that goes on in the back as to individuals have a serious discussion and that visual is the punchline for a joke. The comic makes great use of “confessionals” as it lays out the numerous problems of the ship. And, small detail choices adds so much to who these characters are.

Space Job #1 is the surprise of the week. I didn’t expect a ton going into it, just a riff on Trek, but the debut had me laughing multiple times and smiling throughout. I’m a fan of “holy shit” type of humor and this comic is deep in that keeping readers on their toes as to what messed up situation is going to be revealed. This is a hell of a debut and has me excited to see where this series, and these screw-ups, boldly go.

Story: David A. Goodman Art: Álvaro Sarraseca
Color: Jordi Escuin Llorach Letterer: Mauro Mantella
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.85 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle