A Distant Soil #41: REVIEW


After a brutal fight against the Hierarchy, our bloody rebel fighters take a victory lap, and enjoy some off-color jokes. The result? A Distant Soil #41 offers newer readers a chance to take a breath from all the action and actually gain an appreciation for the characters Colleen Doran has crafted in this mega-series.

Here’s the official word from Image:

The Hierarchy is defeated. Now, the small team of human rebels and their allies face an even bigger foe: A factionalized resistance movement intent on seizing power.

A bit of backstory: after a six-year hiatus, creator Colleen Doran has committed to bringing her epic title A Distant Soil back from hibernation.  And she’s done so with this promise: there’s only a handful of issues left until it’s all wrapped up. For someone who came to this title late, reading the last few issues felt like jumping onto a moving car. There’s been a lot of action, sparse backstory, and very few attempts to introduce new subplots. This isn’t a criticism of the title, but rather an acknowledgement that it’s hard to understand a story so close to its final movement. But after six years, it would have been nice to have some recap. And while A Distant Soil #41 doesn’t offer either of these things, it does give this: a break from the action just long enough to fall in love with the characters.

Doran seems to have a knack for creating funny, authentic, and relatable characters even when they’re busy interacting in fantastical settings. Example: after the epic battle where they defeated the hierarchy, the rebels spend most of issue #41 lamenting the blood splatters on their windshield, making Top Gun references, and telling jokes.

Doran’s art feels masterful, but rushed. Yes, she’s got incredible skill — she offers panels so detailed and haunting that you want to get them tattooed on your arm, but the inking is flat and lacks depth.

A Distant Soil #41 gives new readers their first real opportunity to see why hardcore fans love Colleen Doran, while pushing for the close that longtime readers have been patiently awaiting.

4/5