Anomaly
Hardcover
Written by Skip Brittenham
Illustrated by Brian Haberlin
Anomaly Publishing
Release Date: November 15, 2012
Cover Price: $75.00

Anomaly is a massive, awesome graphic novel that takes place in a future where most of the nations on Earth have joined together as one entity called The Conglomerate. The Conglomerate is eagerly trying to take over worlds and spread their influence.

The story begins with an ex-enforcer for the Conglomerate named Jon. Jon disobeyed orders in combat and got demoted to a low-level worker, or a menial. Jon is given an opportunity to redeem himself when he is reinstated as an enforcer and ordered to accompany Sam, the daughter of a high-ranking Conglomerate member, on an interplanetary mission of “peace.” However, once they land on the plane that they named Anomaly, their peace mission turns out to be a suicide run. The atmosphere of the planet destroys most of their technology and the crew members find themselves in the middle of centuries-old conflict between several alien races. The would-be explorers are now fighting a desperate battle for survival.

Skip Brittenam and Brian Haberlin have created a rich and interesting universe with a detailed history that is explained in the back of the book. The combination of action, sci-fi, and political intrigue allowed for the story to move at pretty rapid pace, despite this volume’s hefty page count.

Haberlin’s art is stunning, capturing the unique looks of the alien races and the exotic locales. Jon and Sam’s relationship has a bit of a “Han and Leia” vibe that is somewhat familiar yet unique enough to not feel like an imitation of the classic couple. In addition, there are several characters and subplots and backstories that are allowed to evolve over the course of this story.

Brittenam and Haberlin have outdone themselves, but based on the ending, it seems like they have several more stories to tell in this universe. Anomaly is a must-read for any science fiction/action-adventure fans out there. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before Brittenam and Haberlin allow us to visit this world again in future volumes.

Anomaly is a summer blockbuster film masquerading as a graphic novel. I welcome any and all future installments of this series with joy and anticipation.