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Faster Than Light #1-5
Faster Than Light, Volume 1: First Steps
Tomorrow we discover the key to faster than light travel and our world will never be the same. Captain William Forest and those under his storied command are in a race against time, and heOs one of the few on board who knows it. A lethal first contact and a planet-eating lifeform are just the tip of the celestial iceberg of Discovery's quest: Save Earth and all her people from the mysterious forces coming to destroy her. Features Anomaly's free cutting-edge Augmented Reality app, which makes it look like interactive holograms are coming out of the book! Collects FASTER THAN LIGHT #1-5."
152 pages, ebook
First published March 30, 2016
1 person is currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Brian Haberlin
453 books15 followersAn award-winning comic book artist, writer, editor and producer, Brian began his career in comics working at Top Cow Productions, where he co-created the Witchblade franchise. He co-founded Avalon Studios, which published many successful fantasy and sci-fi titles, including: Stone, Aria, Area 52 and M-Rex to name a few.
Brian also served for two years as Editor-in-Chief of Todd McFarlane Productions and penciled and inked its flagship title, Spawn. He currently writes and illustrates Faster Than Light and the upcoming Fury Formula comics series. Brian teaches comic art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and his work is in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum.
Brian also served for two years as Editor-in-Chief of Todd McFarlane Productions and penciled and inked its flagship title, Spawn. He currently writes and illustrates Faster Than Light and the upcoming Fury Formula comics series. Brian teaches comic art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and his work is in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 27, 2016
video review- https://youtu.be/qHML5avvWHE
June 28, 2020
(3,5 of 4 for a nice but flawed sci-fi comics)
I got intrigued into FTL because I love sci-fi, especially space one. And I was tempted to try comics with an "extended reality" app. So I did and I do not regret my curiosity.
First the app - it's a great idea, the app worked fine but I have few issues with it - the comics should give me a hint when to use the app so I don't need to remember or constantly check for the pages I can use it on. The second one is the app can sometimes spoil the next events in the story.
The story itself is nice but feels like patchwork, collage of ideas just somehow glued together. I enjoyed it anyway because I craved for sci-fi, but it didn't felt engaging and sometimes it felt even chaotic.
The last thing is art - the comics look nice, I like precise art but the human mimics are the issue here. They just look weird (but maybe that's just my thing).
I got intrigued into FTL because I love sci-fi, especially space one. And I was tempted to try comics with an "extended reality" app. So I did and I do not regret my curiosity.
First the app - it's a great idea, the app worked fine but I have few issues with it - the comics should give me a hint when to use the app so I don't need to remember or constantly check for the pages I can use it on. The second one is the app can sometimes spoil the next events in the story.
The story itself is nice but feels like patchwork, collage of ideas just somehow glued together. I enjoyed it anyway because I craved for sci-fi, but it didn't felt engaging and sometimes it felt even chaotic.
The last thing is art - the comics look nice, I like precise art but the human mimics are the issue here. They just look weird (but maybe that's just my thing).
June 3, 2016
Kind of torn between 3 and 4 stars here. I'm giving it the bump because it has potential.
This is not a perfect book by any means, but it's certainly the best sci-fi graphic novel I've encountered since Think Tank. The biggest issue is that the collection doesn't really resolve anything. Taken together, these first 5 issues are the equivalent of a pilot episode of a TV series that ends on a cliffhanger.
I like the structure of it, as we learn piecemeal why everything is happening the way it is. I also quite enjoyed the dialogue, which is often a stumbling block for these types of books for some reason. We do hit a few tropes of the genre pretty hard and there are a few cliches to be had, but they don't try to stab you in the eye the way other books employ them.
Maybe I'm really reacting to other books in this genre rather than the specific qualities of this one when held up against an ideal version of a Science Fiction graphic novel. Primarily these four stars are because this really shows promise.
This is not a perfect book by any means, but it's certainly the best sci-fi graphic novel I've encountered since Think Tank. The biggest issue is that the collection doesn't really resolve anything. Taken together, these first 5 issues are the equivalent of a pilot episode of a TV series that ends on a cliffhanger.
I like the structure of it, as we learn piecemeal why everything is happening the way it is. I also quite enjoyed the dialogue, which is often a stumbling block for these types of books for some reason. We do hit a few tropes of the genre pretty hard and there are a few cliches to be had, but they don't try to stab you in the eye the way other books employ them.
Maybe I'm really reacting to other books in this genre rather than the specific qualities of this one when held up against an ideal version of a Science Fiction graphic novel. Primarily these four stars are because this really shows promise.
September 9, 2024
Art was too dark. Most male characters were hard to tell apart.
Story is hard to follow early on because there is no introduction, and no real sense of what is going on.
I like sci-Fi, but it always seems much better as a novel. The Sci-Fi comics never seem to elevate the story beyond what the art shows.
Story is hard to follow early on because there is no introduction, and no real sense of what is going on.
I like sci-Fi, but it always seems much better as a novel. The Sci-Fi comics never seem to elevate the story beyond what the art shows.
August 21, 2016
solid Science Fiction story. a bit foreseeable. establishes a good basis. lacks something special. progrssion is jumpy. artwork a bit too cleancut and generc for m taste and without highlights.
September 25, 2016
I must be missing something. I like the art, like the story ideas, but I feel like there is some chapters I didn't read or some game or something that explains some holes.
July 7, 2018
This book was ok. Not really my genre, being a graphic novel, but the story held me.
February 24, 2017
1.5 stars
I feel things weren't explained well in this book. I feel it jumped around and like I was missing something. It was disappointing.
I feel things weren't explained well in this book. I feel it jumped around and like I was missing something. It was disappointing.
November 12, 2022
It would have been 4 stars if it didn't need an app to get part of the story.
September 18, 2020
Interesting premise, but not quite enough for me to keep reading. The art bothered me the entire time, though more so at the beginning. It looks traced to me, like someone outlined the poses from photographs and then shaded over the original with digital brushes. Or like the 3d game style used in Borderlands or The Wolf Among Us. Which I've never experienced in a comic book before and somehow felt like cheating? I don't know, but it bothered me. Beyond that, it's difficult to tell the characters apart by appearance, and I can't always tell who's speaking. The dialogue seems very generic and sometimes unneeded.
I did read to the end because I was curious about the object they brought to their ship, curious about the aliens they stole it from. But of course you don't get answers to either of those things since that's what will serve as the ongoing plot throughout the series. I'm curious enough to maybe read a plot summary, if one exists, but not to read every panel.
I did read to the end because I was curious about the object they brought to their ship, curious about the aliens they stole it from. But of course you don't get answers to either of those things since that's what will serve as the ongoing plot throughout the series. I'm curious enough to maybe read a plot summary, if one exists, but not to read every panel.
June 11, 2025
This graphic novel tells the first half of a story that covered 10 issues. The story is basically humans discover FTL travel and set out to explore the galaxy.
There are two stories here, as there are two FTL capable starships, but one is on a secret mission, and sometimes the author is not so good at clearly delineating which story is being told, which did make it a little confusing to follow in places. There's also some backstory that hasn't been filled in - perhaps that will be covered in the rest of the issues. Those are the bad points.
On the positive side, the dialogue is good, and the characters seem real people. The artwork is nice, particularly the spacecraft, and the colours work well. The story is interesting, and does have a touch of Star Trek about it. I'm looking forward to finishing the series.
There are two stories here, as there are two FTL capable starships, but one is on a secret mission, and sometimes the author is not so good at clearly delineating which story is being told, which did make it a little confusing to follow in places. There's also some backstory that hasn't been filled in - perhaps that will be covered in the rest of the issues. Those are the bad points.
On the positive side, the dialogue is good, and the characters seem real people. The artwork is nice, particularly the spacecraft, and the colours work well. The story is interesting, and does have a touch of Star Trek about it. I'm looking forward to finishing the series.
July 23, 2022
This is probably a 3.5, but didn't round it up because it felt somehow unsatisfying. I had really high expectations for this, since it touches the subject of the first interstellar exploration of space by humans, after discovering faster-than-light travel. However, I often found myself slightly speeding through, and feeling like I was supposed to know something that was happening in-between/happened in the past, but wasn't there. Still a good enough story, with plenty of suspense around it, and a small cliffhanger at the end to make you interested in volume 2.
The art is adequate, without being really wow. Most of the panel layouts are identical, with 4-7 boxes on the page, although there is the occasional splash page, or other variations.
The art is adequate, without being really wow. Most of the panel layouts are identical, with 4-7 boxes on the page, although there is the occasional splash page, or other variations.
February 1, 2025
I read through the first five single- issues and haven’t tried the AR experience while reading it yet. However, the book had some ups and downs. The storyline was at times confusing and I didn’t understand what was happening. However this improves in later issues. Also, the book was at parts Star Wars and at other parts more of a hard science fiction book, which I didn’t like that much. I had hoped more for a hard science fiction story based on the at times very realistic drawing and the introduction to the book. Lastly, the drawing is also a mixed bag: everything but for humans it’s great but the humans were not very good and for some male characters, they are nearly not distinguishable.
October 10, 2023
References to Star Trek don't excuse how derivative this is.
They sit around on a spaceship talking about how to solve a crisis, they meet different aliens who seem friendly or not friendly (and have an inexplicable ability to communicate).
They fight bugs. There's some 'Alien' in there.
Yeah, there's only two volumes, so I'll probably finish. But there isn't much here that makes it stand out.
They sit around on a spaceship talking about how to solve a crisis, they meet different aliens who seem friendly or not friendly (and have an inexplicable ability to communicate).
They fight bugs. There's some 'Alien' in there.
Yeah, there's only two volumes, so I'll probably finish. But there isn't much here that makes it stand out.
August 1, 2018
For you sci fi/Star Trek enthusiasts this is TOTALLY a graphic novel you HAVE TO READ!!! This is very much a first contact and first time REALLY getting into space kind of story. Such a good fun story and I am excited to start the next volume, however, I think there are only the two for now :( Regardless, totally worth the time and the reading!
January 4, 2025
As usual for stories involving FTL travel the whole idea of causality is thrown out of the metaphorical window, but this is a fun romp of a read, with the living planetoid being the highlight.
Although I do very much like the art, the human faces do sometimes take brief voyages into the 'uncanny valley'...
Although I do very much like the art, the human faces do sometimes take brief voyages into the 'uncanny valley'...
April 19, 2020
Was at my comic book store this week . Was looking through the graphic novel books and found this . Story is not bad and the art work it good .
March 4, 2021
A really good science fiction graphic novel. There were parts of the story that kinda skipped around, but it was still a coherent and well drawn book! Now, for volume 2!
September 7, 2021
The app companion makes for a slow read but it definitely adds to the story.
June 11, 2024
6.5/10
Entertaining, sure the characters are a little bland, sure it’s not the most unique comic of all time, but I thought it was a fun ride.
Entertaining, sure the characters are a little bland, sure it’s not the most unique comic of all time, but I thought it was a fun ride.
December 8, 2016
Какой-то хипста-ученый открыл FTL drive, после чего спешно на один из космических кораблей была налеплена новая технология поверх старой, а группа персонажей отправлена бороздить просторы Вселенной. Возможно, я слишком консервативна, но "ракетостроение на авось" вызывает у меня определенное сомнение. В книге вроде и серьезные темы поднимаются, но описаны они настолько вторично и по-детски, что хочется смахнуть скупую слезку...
1. При проведении переговоров с пришельцами герои молчат как пробки, но зато вовсю делают селфи. При этом они доверчивы до дебилизма и пускают на корабль первых встречных. Если таких баранов отобрали для первого контакта с разумной расой пришельцев, то остается только гадать, что за умные люди отправили этих героев в космос.
Стоит отметить, что во всем действе участвует от силы человек 10, один из которых - эпизодически мелькнувший русский мужик, целую страницу выдающий народные мудрости. Серьезно, все крутится вокруг команды корабля и пары побочных "исследователей". Собрать лучшие умы планеты Земля и избежать многих ошибок - зачем? :D
2. Героев помещают в якобы безвыходную ситуацию, с тем чтобы к ним пришло спасение в самый нужный момент. Этот финт ушами - дешевка, на которую идут от недостатка фантазии. Ага, космос такой маленький, что когда у героев пробит корпус и в них уже летят ракеты, внезапно появляется добрососедский крейсер и стремительно их спасает в последнюю секунду. Как удачно.
Еще мне понравилось, что после угрозы врага стереть корабль в порошок до фактического выстрела прошло не менее получаса. Потому как за эту паузу один из героев успел облачиться в скафандр, проползти вдоль корпуса корабля до системы наведения и настроить прицел. Интересно, что все это время делали угрожающие враги? Терпеливо ждали, пока герои проделают все вышеуказанные манипуляции? х_х
3. Пришельцы имеют вид разросшихся бобров, тараканов и т.д. Как же это пошло и скучно.
Что еще хуже - эти бобры болтают на инглише как на родном и в стиле наемных гопников всю дорогу намекают "ну ты же знаешь, кто послал нас за тобой". Это должно выглядеть угрожающе, а не деле - смехотворно.
4. Рисунок не в моем вкусе. Как бы я ни ругалась на Low, там наличествуют потрясающие фантастические пейзажи. В FTL я с трудом различала персонажей, разве что по признаку блондинка-брюнетка-черный. Да и космос - он такой не космос здесь. Ощущение мизерности лодчонки эволюционировавших обезьянок на фоне необъятности пространства возникло всего пару раз.
Это было бы отличным троллингом всея сайфая, если б не было таким неподдельно напыщенным да глупым.
lukk.svbtle
1. При проведении переговоров с пришельцами герои молчат как пробки, но зато вовсю делают селфи. При этом они доверчивы до дебилизма и пускают на корабль первых встречных. Если таких баранов отобрали для первого контакта с разумной расой пришельцев, то остается только гадать, что за умные люди отправили этих героев в космос.
Стоит отметить, что во всем действе участвует от силы человек 10, один из которых - эпизодически мелькнувший русский мужик, целую страницу выдающий народные мудрости. Серьезно, все крутится вокруг команды корабля и пары побочных "исследователей". Собрать лучшие умы планеты Земля и избежать многих ошибок - зачем? :D
2. Героев помещают в якобы безвыходную ситуацию, с тем чтобы к ним пришло спасение в самый нужный момент. Этот финт ушами - дешевка, на которую идут от недостатка фантазии. Ага, космос такой маленький, что когда у героев пробит корпус и в них уже летят ракеты, внезапно появляется добрососедский крейсер и стремительно их спасает в последнюю секунду. Как удачно.
Еще мне понравилось, что после угрозы врага стереть корабль в порошок до фактического выстрела прошло не менее получаса. Потому как за эту паузу один из героев успел облачиться в скафандр, проползти вдоль корпуса корабля до системы наведения и настроить прицел. Интересно, что все это время делали угрожающие враги? Терпеливо ждали, пока герои проделают все вышеуказанные манипуляции? х_х
3. Пришельцы имеют вид разросшихся бобров, тараканов и т.д. Как же это пошло и скучно.
Что еще хуже - эти бобры болтают на инглише как на родном и в стиле наемных гопников всю дорогу намекают "ну ты же знаешь, кто послал нас за тобой". Это должно выглядеть угрожающе, а не деле - смехотворно.
4. Рисунок не в моем вкусе. Как бы я ни ругалась на Low, там наличествуют потрясающие фантастические пейзажи. В FTL я с трудом различала персонажей, разве что по признаку блондинка-брюнетка-черный. Да и космос - он такой не космос здесь. Ощущение мизерности лодчонки эволюционировавших обезьянок на фоне необъятности пространства возникло всего пару раз.
Это было бы отличным троллингом всея сайфая, если б не было таким неподдельно напыщенным да глупым.
lukk.svbtle
November 9, 2016
The time is now. Humanity has deciphered an alien message that basically says, "we're dead, bad things are coming for you, take our technology and get the hell out." Of course, the message arrived in 1945, so we're a little behind. Faster Than Light marries the hard science fiction of The Martian, 2010, and Gravity with the idealism of the original Star Trek. I love it. It's a very grounded series, with realistic characters doing realistic things.
The story comes in small 2 or 3 issues arcs, so the adventure of the week is easily digestible, but somehow it still feels choppy. Like in one instance an entire mission wasn't there, and we just got the end of it, but it didn't link up with anything else. Theres a nifty gimmick, where a free downloadable app can be used in conjunction with the comic. Scan pages and get access to the alien encyclopedia, Captains logs, a translation matrix for the alien dialogue, etc. (This may be the cause of the stories choppiness, as there may simply be pieces I'm missing out on.)
Unfortunately, some of the art isn't as up to par as the story telling, which can make it difficult to tell crew members apart, which causes the story to suffer. But overall this is definitely a title to keep an eye on, looking forward to Volume 2...
The story comes in small 2 or 3 issues arcs, so the adventure of the week is easily digestible, but somehow it still feels choppy. Like in one instance an entire mission wasn't there, and we just got the end of it, but it didn't link up with anything else. Theres a nifty gimmick, where a free downloadable app can be used in conjunction with the comic. Scan pages and get access to the alien encyclopedia, Captains logs, a translation matrix for the alien dialogue, etc. (This may be the cause of the stories choppiness, as there may simply be pieces I'm missing out on.)
Unfortunately, some of the art isn't as up to par as the story telling, which can make it difficult to tell crew members apart, which causes the story to suffer. But overall this is definitely a title to keep an eye on, looking forward to Volume 2...
April 8, 2016
Futuristic science fiction series with alien life-forms
This involves the discovery of faster-than-light technology so that man can travel further in space. A new planet is discovered in our Solar System with alien life forms. Further exploration in search for potential allies brings the crew of the Discovery into contact with more alien races, some less trustworthy than earlier thought.
The artwork is not totally my cup of tea and it is not always easy to identify which character is which. The story, though derivative at times, is relatively engaging and there may be further volumes.
This involves the discovery of faster-than-light technology so that man can travel further in space. A new planet is discovered in our Solar System with alien life forms. Further exploration in search for potential allies brings the crew of the Discovery into contact with more alien races, some less trustworthy than earlier thought.
The artwork is not totally my cup of tea and it is not always easy to identify which character is which. The story, though derivative at times, is relatively engaging and there may be further volumes.
August 22, 2016
An excellent little space exploration book. It has the feel of a Star Trek or SG-1 but with less time on character development than I would like. They are not sterotypes or 2-dimensional but fit very nicely within pre-existing archetypes of the genre. The overarching plot is not exactly cliche but has a lot in common with other planet exploring shows, books and video games. He introduced a sub-plot that when brought up again does add depth and meaning to what the main crew is doing. Well worth your time.
October 24, 2016
Readathon book so review to follow!!!
EDIT:
Oh man! Space travel! Evil Aliens! Earth Plots! This was intense and funny and just what I was looking for when I picked out a space graphic novel. The "evil aliens" looked like Wookies to me, which was just hilarious! But the witty banter between the crew and the flashbacks of previous crews, plus the sheer ingenuity of creating science was just amazing. I look forward to finding out more about this expidition, that is for sure!
EDIT:
Oh man! Space travel! Evil Aliens! Earth Plots! This was intense and funny and just what I was looking for when I picked out a space graphic novel. The "evil aliens" looked like Wookies to me, which was just hilarious! But the witty banter between the crew and the flashbacks of previous crews, plus the sheer ingenuity of creating science was just amazing. I look forward to finding out more about this expidition, that is for sure!
April 11, 2016
The virtue of the work is in the augmented reality phone app you use with it. It's a comic about futuristic technology in a present-day world; "the medium is the message" in the sense that medium itself collapses neatly into the narrative. A decently quick page flipper, but you'll spend a bit of time playing with the app, and that alone is worth the cover price.
August 3, 2016
FTL faster than light travel has been discovered and now we are off to explore the universe. First stop the edge of our galaxy because we discovered a new planet, or did it discover us!?! Dun dun duhhhhn! Oh and there are lots of aliens and sinister side plots and i cant wait for more
September 30, 2016
A solid science fiction adventure with references to other franchises like Star Trek, Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey .
The art was great, and I liked the design of the ship, even if it was a little too much like Discovery One from 2001.
The art was great, and I liked the design of the ship, even if it was a little too much like Discovery One from 2001.
August 15, 2016
It is like Star Trek. Very much like Star Trek. Decent art. Decent story. If this weren't a comic book, I would not have finished it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews