Farscape, Vol. 1
The Beginning of the End of the Beginning
Story by Rockne S. O’Bannon
Script by Keith R.A Decandido
Art by Tommy Patterson
BOOM! Studios
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Farscape, the popular sci-fi channel series of the same name, has taken a page out of the book of many other canceled shows and begins anew in comic book form. Continuing right after the end of the Farscape movie, The Peace Keeper Wars, all seems quiet on living ship Moya and in John Crichton’s life. He has a wife and kid, living in a peaceful bliss. Though in Crichton’s life, peace and quiet never lasts long. Failing to seize the throne on his home planet Hyneria, Rygel and members of the Moya crew are taken hostage by his former subjects, leaving John and Aeryn to rescue them.

The story, crafted by Farscape creator Rockne S. O’Bannon and writer Keith R.A Decandido, is set in continuity with the show and delivers the same type of story and characters that Farscape fans have come to know. The dialogue is funny, the action is quick. It is always nice to know that the creator of the show is so heavily involved in the comic. It gives the fans a sense that the property will be taken care of in its new format and that the story will be true to the show’s sensibility, which it is.

Artist Tommy Patterson has a lot of artistic talent going for him but only does a passable job in getting the likeness of the characters right. Why BOOM! did not use the cover artist to draw the entire book is confusing to me but Patterson does what he can.

I am a casual fan of the show so it is nice to see the series come back, in any format. The only problem is the show just does not translate as well as I’d hoped from the small screen to comic page. The show’s dialogue and pace just moved a lot more quickly when on the small screen. When it comes to the lines delivered by Crichton and the rest of the Farscape characters, some just fall flat due to the fact that they are not spoken by an actor. While this is a testament to what fine actors those associated with the show were, the lack of these players does put a small damper on the comic.

The only other issue I have with the comic is the odd choice of extras on hand. The cover gallery is a given in any trade paperback, but the complete issue by issue proposal by O’ Bannon is an extra that is not really an extra. Why would a fan want to read the whole trade and then read it once again but in proposal form? I would have liked to see maybe a director’s commentary for the entire mini-series or even some preliminary pages with an interview with the creator on his thoughts of the comic and the series. Hopefully, in the next mini-series, more extras will be delivered.

Fans of Farscape should be happy with the first mini-series of the hit show. The story and dialogue are on point with that of the television show. Plus, there’s more Farscape series out with BOOM! now for you to enjoy. It may not be the television series, but the Farscape comic is a nice substitute.