I am not sure why there’s been such a long gap in between reviews of Rob Jackson comics at Broken Frontier. The versatile, genre-jumping creator behind projects like Slaves of the Megapode, RhiZome, Edie Blenkinsop’s War and Crowthorn is a remarkably prolific presence on the UK small press scene after all. His new comic Silent Planet is a reminder that his publishing output is matched in reliability by his ability to turn his hand to any form of genre fiction. Here we have a space epic that presents its narrative in a way that asks the reader to bring their own interpretive interaction to the page.
The comic begins with a probe being sent from satellite to the planet below. On landing a robotic explorer emerges and starts to survey its surroundings. We observe as this visitor explores the planet surface, encounters local life, and is captured by the world’s inhabitants. In a series of intricate events revelation after revelation is layered on, as things take on ever more dramatic turns…
Silent Planet doesn’t quite live up to its title in the strictest terms, as the cosmic environment we find ourselves in is full of sound effects and unintelligible alien dialect. But it is silent in regards to exposition. We observe what happens without ever having it explained to us via dialogue or narration. Here we rely entirely on the visuals to carry us through the story. It takes more than one reading to get a full appreciation of what’s going on, given Jackson’s tightly panelled pages, but it’s an investment of time that is worth pursuing.
Jackson has never worried about employing the most sophisticated artistic style. His past comics have carried their tales through his engaging sequential storytelling rather than elaborate visuals. In Silent Planet, though, the lack of obvious human cast members works very much in his favour by diverting our attention away from characterisation and more towards the mechanics of what is occurring panel to panel. An interesting experiment from an artist with one of the most extensive (and largely still available) back catalogues in UK small press comics.
Rob Jackson • Self-published, £3.10
Review by Andy Oliver
