REVIEW: Wasted Space #6

What is endlessly fascinating about Wasted Space as a comic is how it so bluntly wears its proverbial theme on its sleeve. Now we live in a time where fiction having a pointed message has become commonplace as everyone with the smallest of platform feels the need to give their take on what is right and wrong with the world. What makes Michael Moreci and Hayden Sherman“s Wasted Space different is that it is not focused on the news of today but rather grander and more universal truths. It is not necessarily about pushing an agenda, instead to point out that stories no matter how absurd they may seem can still be about something of intrinsic value. For this issue, the value of the day is–morality.

Having a well-formed structure is a major key to why this series has remained so strong. In a way it works like a well-formulated joke, You start with a general setup and premise to give a sense of where the story is headed. Provide some additional supporting bits that will make the punch line stronger, and once the punchline does eventually come it feels perfectly timed yet at the same time still surprising enough to get a reaction. Here that setup begins in the precarious location of a cosmic convenient store that does has some shady practices. Right away Billy and Molly are set up with a decision to make. Do they abide or choose a different path? What truly is the more moral thing to do?

Centering a story on doing the right thing could be overly simplistic if not handled correctly as it could quickly become an overgrown children“s fairy tale. What makes this more than that is how Moreci“s script muddles up what it means to be moral. Even with the opening convenient sequence, it calls into question what is the right thing to do? Is it just to follow unjust rules? If you do the right thing but use it as a moment of self-aggrandizement does it counteract your good deed? Those questions are not necessarily directly answer, however they are what drive what comes next.

As indicated the punchline to this issue is the attempted rescue of Rex who is being held on the planet of The Verge. Much of the team is split on if attempting to rescue Rex is the right move for the team. Even Dust and Fury have their reservations over whether or not they should risk everything to make this move. It is within this conversation that Hayden Sherman really shines. Of course you have some grander moments that are more full of life that are worthy of attention, however, it is how he frames these debates that keeps the spirit of the book going. He finds interesting places to put his camera so the focus is on those conversing but we still see the real-time reaction of those listening. This is vital as it eliminates unnecessary dialog that would just reinforce what the art is already telling. What would have been a static sequence is now fluid and full of life.

Jason Wordie“s colors also play an important role as well. Within the convenient store and spaceship, backgrounds have an array of colors and softer tones so the characters are even more prominent in the foreground. Once we enter The Vorge that vastly changes as oranges dominate as if the page is being engulfed by dust and rust. When events become more violent those oranges morph as red takes over to further emphasize some of the more violent moments. It makes the final moments feel like an appropriate climax. There is a major character development within that finale that feels a tad too soon, however it does leave the book off at a fascinating place moving forward.

Final Thoughts:

Sometimes it is the small things that can go a long way. Too often comic issues are randomly chopped story bits that are clearly designed to be read in a larger trade. Issue #6 of Wasted Space bucks that trend as it is a complete story within itself that properly builds to a larger hole. This issue works as an evaluation of morality and many of its different nuances within a story about stopping the end of everything.

Comic book publishers tend to acquire a certain personality. So when you a reading an issue you can assume who the publisher is without even looking at the cover. When it comes to Vault comics that personality appears to be cultivating books made by creators who are eager to push the medium forward. They only consistent element between their books is that each is uniquely its own unlike anything else being made today. Such is the case with Wasted Space and this issue.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colored By: Jason Wordie
Lettered By: Jim Campbell

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Daniel Clark

A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.