Review – Wasted Space #6 (Vault Comics)

Publisher: Vault Comics
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artwork: Hayden Sherman
Colours: Jason Wordie
Letters: Jim Campbell (letters)
Release Date: 6th February 2019

The second arc of WASTED SPACE kicks off this week with our intrepid collection of space misfits embarking on a journey to kill The Creator himself and, hopefully, save the galaxy in the process.

After sleeping on the first volume for an inexplicably long time, I recently managed to consume the entire trade in a single sitting, and was blown away by the inventive world-building, STRONG characterisation and the fact that two of my favourite creators – Michael Moreci and Hayden Sherman – were working together so seamlessly. As such, I’m wasting absolutely no time in picking up the latest issue, and I’d highly recommend you do the same (although obviously after picking up the trade first.)

The second act has an interesting premise, with our heroes visiting some of the worst people in the galaxy in order to find what they need to take the fight to the seemingly omnipotent and omniscient Creator. The structure is tight, but it’s the dialogue that helps to really sell things here, with Moreci peppering the exchanges with plenty of the kind of philosophical ponderings that have become a real hallmark of his work. This definitely feels a lot more cynical and world-weary than the likes of Roche Limit though, with Billy’s understandably jaded view of gods and spirituality providing some thought-provoking gems along the way.

On the visual side of things, Hayden Sherman’s work continues to leap off the page with its scratchy, kinetic style. Absolutely nothing about it is neat or structured, but he still ensures that the story flow smoothly and energetically throughout the course of this issue, delivering some typically wild and abstract character designs for some of the galaxy’s more unusual inhabitants. Jason Wordie also deserves a ton of credit for the visual side of the book, with a palette that manages to be both striking and subdued, and some wonderful colour choices for Sherman’s aforementioned designs.

The final pages give us a hint at the next stop on our journey, but with The Creator and Legion observing everything from a distance, it’s still difficult to see our collection of broken toys coming anywhere close to succeeding in their mission. They’re going to give it one hell of a go though, but perhaps more than anything else it’s Molly Sue’s frightening premonition which is likely to fuel the story as this second arc continues. And, based on what we get to see here, the newly rekindled (and kinda disturbing, let’s be honest) relationship between Dust and Fury looks set to be severely tested in the issues to come.

And so we have our set-up. Billy Bane and his cohorts are trying to kill The Creator and save the Galaxy, and they need certain objects in order to do so. It’s a simple framework to hang what is actually a fairly nuanced storyline on, and Moreci wisely lets the charm of his characters deliver these complex, challenging meditations on the nature of spirituality and free will in an impressively accessible way. Oh, and there’s crazy gods and sex robots too, along with one of the coolest covers you’re likely to see on the shelves of your local comic shop this week.

If you like your science fiction raw, cynical and rough around the edges, I honestly can’t recommend WASTED SPACE enough.

Rating: 4/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK]