In issue three of this 4-part series, Bobbie Draper is injured while completing a mission on a red planet. Avasarala is on Luna; she is no longer the Secretary General but still worries about the enemies she made while holding that position. She sees her daughter off-planet and happens upon evidence from a traveler who is heading to the planet where Bobbie is investigating. Later she calls Bobbie and asks her what she’s located to date. While she is making the call, she is visited by an intruder who informs her he shut down all communication on Luna. He offers her a reward to join his group. Avasarala spends the rest of this issue avoiding capture by this intruder.
Issue two captures the political and espionage story angles that make the Amazon Prime television series so interesting. This series zeros in on the Avasarala and Bobbie Draper connection while including references to the larger socio-political environment. There is attention paid to the economic struggle and the competition for groups to gain resources and build influence. Fans of this TV series have grown fond of these elements and the way they depict grounded and believable story lines into a futuristic space-based story.
Issue 3 begins with Avasarala in dire straits waiting for rescue or death; she previously hid in a structure that loses oxygen. Meanwhile, Bobbie and her co-pilot, Kal, continue their exploration. Kal doesn’t know it, but Bobbie continues to look for clues to the possibility of a major economic underground business deal. She is captured in the process but rescued. Bobbie is distrustful of her rescuer but willing to take the opportunity her freedom offers to investigate a lead she overlooked previously. In so doing she makes a surprising discovery.
This issue continues the story threads from the previous issue while introducing an added twist. The reader is left wondering who is the mysterious savior who aids Draper? How much danger is Avasarala experiencing? We are convinced that both characters possess great resources for self-preservation. The intrigue sits in how these story threads that take place on Luna and (???) connect back to earth and how they impact the ongoing struggle to obtain resources and protect these planets from the influence of radical groups.
The art in this series is so well-suited for the story because it is cryptic, using shades, shadows, and colors to support the mysterious elements of the story. Specifically, the characters have a sketch-drawn appearance, colors are textured, and muted to age the appearance. At the same time, the depiction of the main character’s body structure, faces, and emotions are so well-connected to the images seen in the TV series, but improved. Avasarala looks aged and Bobbie looks bigger and stronger.
I have loved this series so far because it is so connected to the storylines in the Amazon Prime series. Avasarala is rough, bold, fearless, and resourceful. Bobbie is powerful, pure-hearted, and relentless. Together they make for a formidable pair. I can hardly wait to see how this story ends and how these two characters prevail in their pursuit of protecting society from criminal elements. 9/10
