Review – Wasted Space #11 (Vault Comics)

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

A new issue of Wasted Space is always cause for celebration round these parts, and the excitement of kicking off a new arc as Billy Bane and his intrepid band of misfits attempt to travel to Earth to kill the Creator is more than enough to get my juices flowing.

However, as it turns out – in a twist that should come as a surprise to absolutely no-one – things end up being a little more complicated than that. And whether it’s the “brief” information-collecting diversion to Quylicon, the inherent complications of cross-galaxy travel or the prevailing post-coital awkwardness between Billy and Molly, it’s clear that the latest stage of their quest is not going to go particularly smoothly.

The series has seen its tone undulate over the course of the preceding ten issues, going from tense drama to crass irreverence and back again countless times. This latest chapter is far more of the latter than the former, with a light-hearted approach to the story and several impressive visual and verbal gags along the way.

Every single member of the creative team is clearly having an absolute blast with this book, and whether it’s smiley-face-covered-genitalia or the reality-warping chaos of “The Slip”, this latest issue has just as much visual flair as it does narrative flair. Hayden Sherman continues to be at the absolute top of his game, and it feels like he’s putting the characters themselves more in the foreground here, with several brilliant page-dominating renditions of the crew in their slightly space-weary state.

Sherman’s scratchy style continues to perfectly underscore the down-and-dirty nature of this particular brand of sci-fi, although he proves more than capable of dramatic close-ups in spite of utilising a style that ostensibly lacks in ‘detail’. Once again Jason Wordie’s colours help to give the book a grimy, slightly tarnished quality that again fits the tone beautifully, and his psychedelic work during the aforementioned trip into The Slip is a real highlight.

The final pages throw yet another spanner into the works (I know, right?), introducing some new characters who – based on Hayden’s outlandish designs – I’m already finding myself really needing to know more about. There are a lot of different moving parts here, and with the rapidly shifting tone of the story there’s literally no telling what’s coming next – a real treat in today’s frequently predictable comic book climate.

Honestly, I absolutely love this series, and it’s going to take a misfire of cosmic proportions from the creators to change my mind on it at this point. Each issue adds more tension, intrigue and humour to the proceedings, and the blend of character-focused drama, epic scale world-building and cheap masturbation jokes ensures that Wasted Space is like nothing else on the shelves today. Pick up the first two volumes as soon as you can, and hop on board this gloriously irreverent space juggernaut!

Rating: 4.5/5.

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