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Higher Earth #1
Higher Earth Vol. 1
The fate of thousands of alternate earths, in thousands of alternate realities, hangs in the balance at the hands of just one young girl, and she’s got a score to settle.
When the final frontier proves to be a desolate wasteland, mankind turns its sights toward exploring -- and conquering -- a different sort of alternate Earths. HIGHER EARTH, written and created by Sam Humphries, takes place in a universe of interconnected Earths, with many falling under the empire of the titular throne world.
When the final frontier proves to be a desolate wasteland, mankind turns its sights toward exploring -- and conquering -- a different sort of alternate Earths. HIGHER EARTH, written and created by Sam Humphries, takes place in a universe of interconnected Earths, with many falling under the empire of the titular throne world.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 18, 2013
Sam Humphries has a great concept here, but what's holding this book back is the terrible artwork. Humphries has crafted an intriguing story, pulls it off with a fast pace, and the damn thing rides smoothly and saemlessly. It baffles me that the book has such a loow overall rating, but as I've always said, a graphic novel isn't just about the writing- it's a 50/50 share between writer and artist.
It's a quick, fun read that could have been a major work of sci-fi with a major impact on the award circuits if it had been written as a novel and focused more on the imperial aspect of the book. Instead, Humphries keeps it breezy and swift, but is working with clunky artists that create a real drag on the book as a whole.
Overall, it's worth picking up from the library, but not worth putting in the buy pile.
Writing: B
Art: D
It's a quick, fun read that could have been a major work of sci-fi with a major impact on the award circuits if it had been written as a novel and focused more on the imperial aspect of the book. Instead, Humphries keeps it breezy and swift, but is working with clunky artists that create a real drag on the book as a whole.
Overall, it's worth picking up from the library, but not worth putting in the buy pile.
Writing: B
Art: D
June 6, 2013
I really liked the way this story is constructed. Long-time Science Fiction readers have seen these elements used before, but rarely so adroitly. Humphries is adept as timing the reveals of the story, and its breezy start gets progressively darker.
My quibble with the story is that the Science Fiction breaks down into more of a Science Fantasy by the end of this collection. Science Fantasy (like Star Wars) is less interesting to me because the degree of difficulty is lower. That said, the writing and plotting is top-notch otherwise.
The art is serviceable in most regards. There are too few establishing shots for my taste, but you get enough of a sense of the world(s) to know where you are. The jumbled-up-ness of the beginning is intentional. Like our protagonist, we are thrown into the middle of things, so the choice to delay showing off stuff works to keep the reader off-balance. There are a couple really great artistic moments sprinkled throughout, and I particularly liked designs of various outfits the characters wore.
I enjoyed it enough that I'm going to seek out the second volume.
My quibble with the story is that the Science Fiction breaks down into more of a Science Fantasy by the end of this collection. Science Fantasy (like Star Wars) is less interesting to me because the degree of difficulty is lower. That said, the writing and plotting is top-notch otherwise.
The art is serviceable in most regards. There are too few establishing shots for my taste, but you get enough of a sense of the world(s) to know where you are. The jumbled-up-ness of the beginning is intentional. Like our protagonist, we are thrown into the middle of things, so the choice to delay showing off stuff works to keep the reader off-balance. There are a couple really great artistic moments sprinkled throughout, and I particularly liked designs of various outfits the characters wore.
I enjoyed it enough that I'm going to seek out the second volume.
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March 29, 2020Beginning a story in media res is one thing, but take it too far and it's just exhausting. This opens during a scrap whose players include a cyborg bear, which instantly had me intrigued, but before there's any hint of an explanation we're on another parallel Earth, and soon another. A whole series of them, in fact, being exploited by the imperialist Higher Earth of the title (which didn't help, because every time it came up the refrain of that godawful song Higher Love played in my head). I like the concept, but stories in which all the leads are parallel world versions of the same character/s seldom seem to pull it off, and it really doesn't play to Humphries' strengths as a writer - what I've always enjoyed about his stuff is the exploration of fucked-up individuals, and there's no time for that in this breakneck crossworld thriller.
June 1, 2023
Maybe I've just started to hate Multiverse things, but this really wasn't for me. Too attached to building up the rules of their multiverse, which feel like every other multiverse, and not nearly as attached to creating engaging characters. Plus when you just immediately introduced variants of your characters from different universes you also immediately lose what makes them unique.
Wasn't a fan of the art and the writing was really bare bones. Really did not like this one. Will not be reading Vol 2 (I might actually)
Wasn't a fan of the art and the writing was really bare bones. Really did not like this one. Will not be reading Vol 2 (I might actually)
September 13, 2020
2.5 Stars
I give this credit for being a little different, but at the same time I find it mostly confusing. I feel like we got dropped in the middle of the story and there's too much to figure out by working backward. As other readers have said, it does start to make sense by the end but by that time you're so confused you feel like you've missed something. The art is okay but not great.
I'll read the second volume but I really think this story may have worked better as a novel or TV show.
I give this credit for being a little different, but at the same time I find it mostly confusing. I feel like we got dropped in the middle of the story and there's too much to figure out by working backward. As other readers have said, it does start to make sense by the end but by that time you're so confused you feel like you've missed something. The art is okay but not great.
I'll read the second volume but I really think this story may have worked better as a novel or TV show.
October 14, 2023
Parallel Earth Colonialism
This is was mostly action and set pieces with maybe a plot somewhere in there. The art was nice. The setting is an multiverse of infinite earths stripped of resources by an empire. The leads cut there way through security forces hunting them for reasons never made clear. I suppose the setting had some interesting aspects, but I just didn't care about the story from what little I could glean of it.
This is was mostly action and set pieces with maybe a plot somewhere in there. The art was nice. The setting is an multiverse of infinite earths stripped of resources by an empire. The leads cut there way through security forces hunting them for reasons never made clear. I suppose the setting had some interesting aspects, but I just didn't care about the story from what little I could glean of it.
January 6, 2019
I liked the concept, but the volume is mostly a lot of hyperviolence and ugly art before finally doing some interesting worldbuilding and storytelling at the very end. Maybe the next volume will be a bit better paced.
March 12, 2023
Sam Humphries does his version of a pan dimensional empire. We don’t get a lot of answers until the last issue in this volume. Up to that point it’s just this girl and a soldier on the run across dimensions. Solid sci-fi.
April 14, 2019
Confusing. It started to make sense by the end of the volume, but it was a chore for me to get there.
January 25, 2024
A little confusing at first but a very fascinating look at multiverses.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews