Stable: Stable

by Matthew Medney, Morgan Rosenblum, Francesco Pisa (Illustrator)

A dystopian space opera that straddles the threads of compassion, perseverance and humanity.  Three arks. Two worlds. One chance at survival. 

On an Earth with a dying Sun, there are two kinds of people. The Chosen. And the left behind.

We thought it was over. We thought we had lost. A burnt out star left us without enough warmth to thrive, our days as a species were numbered.

But then, then a miracle happened. We received a transmission from an alien civilization that scanned our Sun and knew we needed help. So they threw us a life raft in the form of designs for Space Arks, we built 3. Interstellar capable, with pre-programmed coordinates to bring us to their home world, a place we were told could be called home. 100,000 humans per Ark, chosen to represent the best in us, a last ditch effort to save humanity.

Do I trust these aliens? hell no. but what choice do we have?

Paulson’s the name, Caleb Paulson, you can think of me as the architect of this mission. We’re heading to this alien system with no idea what lies ahead.

As for the billions who were not so fortunate? The ones who did not receive an invitation aboard the arks?  We left them to shephard a lawless and desperate earth, poor bastards. This stable of arks is humanity's last chance to endure.

Created by: Hero Projects

Written by Matthew Medney and Morgan Rosenblum

Story by: Matthew Medney, Morgan Rosenblum, Voodoo Bownz, Jonny Handler

Art by: Francesco Pisa

Letters by: Ismail Nihad

Editorial Design: Voodoo Bownz

Produced by: Hero Projects and Tomato Farm

Published By Heavy Metal 

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction

130 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2022

Reviews

[Liam Jaxon]

I'm a sucker for a grand, doomed Earth premise, and “Stable” delivers that in spades. The idea that humanity’s salvation comes from an alien blueprint we do not fully trust is such a rich source of tension. I loved the dual focus on the three Arks hurtling toward an unknown fate and the people left behind to fend for themselves on a dying planet. The world building hints at a much larger universe, and I found myself constantly wondering about the alien benefactors and their true motives. My only complaint is that I wanted more. The story moves quickly, and I hope future volumes slow down to let us live in this beautifully bleak world a little longer.

[Antoine Tobiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a tragedy wrapped in a mystery. The tragedy is that humanity had to leave most of itself behind to die. The mystery is what waits for the survivors. I appreciated that the story does not try to sugarcoat the horror of that choice. It acknowledges the weight of it and lets it hang over the entire narrative. Yet, there is a stubborn, almost foolish strand of hope running through it. The fact that we built the Arks at all is an act of hope. The fact that 300,000 people are willing to fly into the unknown is an act of hope. It is that fragile, desperate hope that makes the story resonate.

[Julien Brandon]

Caleb Paulson is an intriguing narrator because he is not your typical hero. He is the architect of the mission, a man burdened with the knowledge that he helped decide who lives and who dies. That weight is palpable. However, I felt the story spread itself thin by jumping between the Arks and the surface. I wanted to spend more time with a single set of characters to really understand their hopes and fears. The book gave me a great premise and solid character sketches, but I left wanting deeper emotional connections. It felt like the opening chapter of a larger saga, which is fine, but it left me hungry for more intimate moments.

[Thomas Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me get this straight. An alien civilization we have never met sends us blueprints for spaceships, and we build them and load them with 300,000 people, blindly following the coordinates they gave us? And our narrator admits he does not trust them? The lack of political infighting, paranoia, and sheer human pettiness in this scenario is staggering. I kept waiting for a faction to sabotage the mission, or for a character to raise the obvious question of whether we are flying into a trap. The premise is intriguing, but the execution glosses over the messy, chaotic reality of what such a desperate exodus would actually look like. It felt too clean.

[Ethan Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I found most compelling about “Stable” was the unspoken social commentary. Who gets to be chosen? Who decides what constitutes the “best” of us? The book touches on this but leaves it mostly in the background. I found myself obsessing over the billions left behind. Their story, hinted at in the frozen, desperate wasteland, is just as compelling as the Ark mission, if not more so. The book sets up a fascinating class divide on a species level, and I hope future installments explore the politics and morality of that selection with more depth. There is a profound story here about who we deem worthy of survival.

[Hugo Thomas]

Despite the grim setting, I found this story strangely hopeful. It is about the choice to persevere. The fact that humanity, faced with extinction, came together to build these Arks says something about our capacity for cooperation when the alternative is nothing. The scenes showing the selection process and the weight of who gets chosen were heartbreaking but also beautiful. It made me think about what we value as a species and who we would send to represent the best of us. The story is a testament to the idea that even in our darkest hour, we choose to reach for the stars.

[Maxime James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book moves at breakneck speed. One minute, the Sun is dying. The next, aliens are contacting us. A few pages later, the Arks are built and launched. I understand the need to get to the core conflict, but I felt robbed of the most interesting part of the story. I wanted to see the global panic, the political maneuvering, the construction of these massive ships, and the societal collapse that led to the lawless Earth we see later. The book gives you the highlights reel, but I was craving the director’s cut. It is a sprint when it should have been a marathon.

[François Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part of any sci fi story is the unknown, and this book is full of it. Who are these aliens? Why did they help us? Why only blueprints for Arks and not a more direct solution? The pre programmed coordinates make me deeply suspicious, and I love it. Caleb Paulson’s distrust is my distrust, and it colored every moment of the journey. I kept looking for clues in the art and the dialogue, trying to piece together what is waiting for them at the destination. The mystery is what will bring me back for the next volume. I need answers.

[Damien Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I just want a story that gets to the point, and “Stable” did exactly that. No long winded explanations or drawn out world building. It dropped me into a desperate situation and kept the momentum going. The split narrative between the Arks and the survivors on Earth gave me a constant sense of tension. I appreciated that the story did not get bogged down. It felt like a sci fi thriller, always moving toward the next reveal or the next crisis. It was a quick, engaging read that left me excited for what comes next.

[Megan Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book feeling like I had just read a very detailed prologue. The premise is fantastic. The art is gorgeous. The characters have potential. But just as I started to get invested in a particular storyline or character, the narrative would cut away to a different perspective. I understand that this is the first in a series, but a good first volume should also feel like a complete chapter. This felt more like a table setting. I am intrigued enough to continue, but I hope the next book gives me more substance and less setup.

[Alexandre Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book feeling like I had just read a very detailed prologue. The premise is fantastic. The art is gorgeous. The characters have potential. But just as I started to get invested in a particular storyline or character, the narrative would cut away to a different perspective. I understand that this is the first in a series, but a good first volume should also feel like a complete chapter. This felt more like a table setting. I am intrigued enough to continue, but I hope the next book gives me more substance and less setup.

[S.S. Julian]

A space fantasy wrapped around a twilight zone premise. Earth's Sun is dying and aliens have offered to save a lucky few through FTL arks they instruct humanity to build. This book follows several groups of characters caught up in different situations - the captains of the arks, the crew and passengers, as well as those left behind in a wintry Mad Max world.