Have you ever wanted to jump into a new world? If so, sit back, dear reader, because I'm continuing my Black History Month run with Far Sector by NK Jeminism and Jamal Campbell.
Summary
Deep into the edge of the universe lies the City Enduring, an extraterrestrial metropolis that has managed to maintain peace amongst its three alien species and 20 billion denizens through a straightforward method: The Emotion Exploitive. This powerful device has shunned all prominent emotion. Leaving the first murder, they've had in 500 years an even more curious assumption.
Thus, the council of the City decided to issue out into a cosmos for a hero. Only to get Sojourner Mullein, the universe's latest human green lantern. Armed with a Green Lantern ring unique amongst her peers, Sojourner is left as only the just law and emotion within the entire city. She realizes too quickly that being on an alien planet doesn't make the corruption and lies beneath any less universal.
Sojourner Mullein: Nicknamed Jo by her friends (of which there aren't many), our main character, like most superheroes, doesn't have the most cushy origins. Being both a former army vet and police officer, Jo has always tried and failed to make the world a better place. A drive that has only doubled now that she has the power to make a real change. Strong, resourceful, and awfully determined to fuck things up again, Jo accepts her new role as Green Lantern with pride and annoyance.
Marth of the Sea: Representative of the Nah race, one of the three species running the City Enduring, Marth starts as emotionless and calculated as the rest of the sector. Until he starts taking Switchoff, a drug that allows those who take it to experience emotion, leaving him to experience all the love and regret he's put aside over the years.
Synz of the Cliffs: Jo's "friend" in the Peace Corps, Synz, is a Nah who tries to play things by the book and is a bit less informed on Earth culture, leading to confusion. Still, Synz probably takes advantage of the Emotion Expoltive the most, using it to make rational decisions and the "right" calls.
Canhaz: An inquisitive and invasive aid to Jo Chanaz is a @at, a species of digital life forms that consume culture and time ridiculously fast. Despite this questionably cruel existence, Canhaz remains a stalwart ally.
Overview
I ain't gonna hold you. I know we are only 1/6th through 2024, but I've found my comic of the year, and that's getting some pretty steep competition with some of the comics coming up. Even amongst my more comic-savvy peers, I'm sure most don't know Sojourner Mullen. I didn't even know she existed until around DC's Black History Month 2022.
Now that I have properly introduced her, Jo is one of my favorite new heroes. Far Sector takes its 12-issue length well, throwing us directly into this alien world with Jo as a surrogate who is at least experienced enough with the top brass to keep us updated. More info on our MC also gets added as time goes on. Add the murder mystery flair, and I think it creates a living, breathing city that feels familiar to us but still has nice parallels.
Combining that with Jo's unique ring having a limited charge and her tumultuous history creates some remarkable parallels. Jo has no secret identity, but she can't punch her way through every problem; she has to instill positive political and social change. For a woman who initially felt overwhelmed by caring too much, only to find her place in a society that cares too little, it's rather beautiful.
Of course, what's also beautiful is our author/artist duo—the writer of Far Sector N.K. Jemisin seemed to have made her major writing debut through the novels in the Inheritance Trilogy. Said trilogy consisted of won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award while featuring compelling high fantasy. Later in her career, she co-authored Mass Effect: Andromeda Initiation and a urban fantasy novel called The City We Became.
On the other hand, Jamal Campbell is someone whose work I'm a lot more familiar with due to reading Superman 2023 by Joshua Williamson. Jamal is slightly more splintered but has worked on comic runs like 2016's Nightwing, Wonder Woman Black and Gold (Fresh Air in Philly ), and Boom Comics Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Still, no matter who he works with and in what capacity, Jamal's art is stellar (no pun intended).
Jamal has this very big, bombastic style that still feels very anatomically and sleek. Every design and character looks super dynamic, and for a character like Green Lantern, that's the best you can hope for. Every construct Joe makes me feel aesthetically pleasing and sleek alongside the City Enduring, giving it a cramp and insular feeling. Paired with N.K.'s pen, I feel like a match made in heaven.
Epilogue
Overall, Far Sector is one of my favorite comics I ever had the pleasure of reviewing. It's a fun ride from start to finish that feels incredibly creative while still hitting very close to home. With the supposed Epilogue coming alongside the 2024 DC's power lineup. This will be a bit of a sweet parting as more writers (hopefully) pick up Jo again.
She's an all-in-all, very sweet character who I relate to now. Caring and wanting to do good should never be considered a weakness, especially in a world where it's harder to do that. I know my voice is still limited, but I would like to get a few people's eyes on some of these fantastic stories. That's more than enough for me. In that vein, let's spin the spotlight towards another sector of this great blue mud ball full of stories.
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Webtoon Spotlight
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