#1 On Basilisk Station Review

Rhymes With Geek

http://www.rhymeswithgeek.com/tales-of-honor-1-rwg-reviews/nnComic book tie-ins are a natural part of any successful franchise these days. This is no exception for the adaptation of David Weber’s Honorverse series, a military science-fiction universe following the exploits of space commander Honor Harrington. Originally written as a group of thirteen books written over twenty-years, the Honorverse novels are poised to make the transition into the mainstream consciousness with an upcoming media blitz of video games, movies, and yes – comic book adaptations. With sci-fi heroines and multi-film movies all the rage – Tales of Honor is poised to grip the attention of fans with a rich and complex universe full of military strategy and complex politics. To help bring this expansive story into the graphic novel format David Weber has teamed up with Top Cow Productions and even enlisted the help of company president Matt Hawkins to script and adapt the stories.nnStory: The ‘Honorverse’ era exists 2,000 years in the future where hyperspace travel allows humanity to colonize the far reaches of the universe. Tales of Honor #1 closely follows the structure of the book series and begins with an adaptation of the first novel On Basilisk Station. Newcomers to this series will be pleased to know that despite the lengthy history surrounding this series, issue one is pretty straight forward and easy for a new reader to enjoy. Tales of Honor #1 takes a page from Star Wars by starting with a nice opening crawl of text summarizing the background in which the story takes place. It’s always helpful to see these kinds of blurbs when opening a new series and they go a long way in catching readers up with the story.nnThis first issue takes place primarily through flashbacks of the main character Honor Harrington as she is held captive by enemy forces and awaiting execution for actions committed during a previous time in command. We see glimpses of Harrington’s past as she takes charge of her first space vessel and the reactions of her crew at having a ‘royal’ solider in their ranks. The story leans heavily on prose-style narration to keep the story moving forward and most scenes last for less than a page before transitioning to a new point in the story. As a result there is quite of text devoted to the discussion of military strategy and weapons systems (perhaps in an attempt to stay true to the original novelization) which is a bit heavy-handed for the average comic book. Still these word blasts are balanced out with beautiful art and an engaging story that keeps things moving without getting too bogged down in exposition. nnUltimately Honor Harrington is a tough and likable protagonist and it’s clear why she’s been able to carry the favor of fans for thirteen straight novels. Matt Hawkin’s does a good job ensuring the true character of the hero shines through the heavy plot and keeps the story balanced between scenes of action, intrigue, and human emotion. I found myself looking forward to the next issue and excited to see the emergence of a new female sci-fi hero in the comic book sphere. After reading this first issue I’m inclined to go back and check out some of David Weber’s original books just to compare the two stories. Story Score: 8 out of 10.nnArt: Top Cow has pulled out all the stops to ensure that Tales of Honor is one of the best looking series on the shelf. They’ve enlisted the help of Top Cow veteran Jung-Geun Yoon to help bring this incredibly beautiful universe of military weapons, space galaxies, and soldiers to life. Honor Harrington looks brilliant with a design the emulates many classic space heroes without giving in to the need to overly sexualize the character. His designs of spacecraft are absolutely beautiful and will make any sci-fan fan drool with excitement. It is definitely on par with the character and world design of properties like Mass Effect and Ender’s Game but still somehow manages to successfully carves out a unique space without feeling contrived. Fans of Yoon’s other work on titles such as Artifacts will be pleased to know he doesn’t cut any corners in delivering a beautiful looking book. Pages feel well-designed and delivered with a level of detail most comics usually reserve for cover art. Very happy to see an artist like him onboard for the adaptation of a space epic as it raises my confidence this series will become a hit with fans and new readers alike. Art Score: 9 out of 10. nnOverall Tales of Honor is a solid introduction to a multi-decade spanning series. It’s impossible to relay the full scope of novels in a single issue of a comic but it appears like Matt Hawkins and Jung-Geun Yoon are approaching the material with the utmost respect and that will surely go a long way in ensuring the true flavor of the universe shines through. While this series may be a little heavy on the military strategy discussion for a casual reader, fans of sci-fi war stories should definitely pick up this first issue. Overall some great art and solid storytelling creates a nice addition to the roster of Top Cow titles. Overall Score: 8.5 out of 10.