Joy Ride #1 Review

Joy Ride #1 from BOOM! Studios -

     Uma is not buying what the government is selling. In the far future, the threat of alien attack has brought Earth under a unified government called the Triumvirate. The Triumvirate controls all, knows all in the lives of the citizens the planet. In order to keep the planet safe, the Triumvirate has enclosed Earth in a metal shell called the SafeSky, and planted an enormous and prodigiously powerful gun on the moon. But Uma cares nothing for this - she doesn't buy the alien threat. Uma wants to explore, see the stars and live her life the way she sees fit. So, her and her pal, Dewydd, hatch an elaborate plot to escape, first to the dark side of the moon, then away into the stars. But will a motivated soldier named Catrin, and an alien slaver ruin their trip, or worse, get them killed?

      Joy Ride #1 is a comic drawn beautifully by Marcus To - it kinda reminds me of those great 70s and 80s sci-fi anime shows, like Robotech, that I loved as a kid. Jackson Lanzing has penned a story that seems like it might have been the beginnings of a great sci-fi adventure...If not for the fact that the characters were a bit flat, and sometimes, insufferable. Uma is supposed to be a feisty wild child, a dreamer, a hero for individual freedoms and rights; however, she just comes off as self-centered, a person who just uses people like pawns to get what she wants. Dewydd is obviously in love with her - she doesn't seem to care in the least, and poor Dewydd just ends up as a device to move the story. He's not quite a love-interest, but more a a loyal pet that will do anything to please his red-headed master.  Catrin is supposed to be a loyal soldier, but through one little feisty speech from Uma and she also hops on-board with Uma's plot. It makes no sense. Uma is the only one who matters in the story, everyone and everything else just seems throw-a-way.

   Again, this is only the first issue, and it isn't a bad comic. The art is great, and the story is interesting, and there may be great adventures ahead for Uma and her gang. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one character in the story that I liked, or cared enough about, to continue journeying with them. Some will find Uma and her gang to be brave, I found them to be dangerously clueless.

RATING: 6.5 out of 10.