Graphic Novel Review: Free Planet #1

A wildly inventive comic/graphic novel by Aubrey Sitterson and Jed Dougherty

The planet of Lutheria has been through a lot. However, after much strife and struggle, they have gained independence from a tyrannical interstellar polity that has exploited them and their resources for a long time. They have struggled mightily against great odds and have achieved a precarious peace and stability. But it is what happens now that freedom is won that is the real story of Free Planet, a comic by Aubrey Sitterson and Jed Dougherty.

Graphic novels and manga are not my usual medium to read and review. And I am not the usual person here at Nerds of a Feather to review such work. But, in the spirit of spreading my oeuvre and skills, I decided to give it a try. And I am glad that I did. I was drawn immediately to the complexity of the art style. The creators take full advantage of the medium they are working in and push the boundaries of the form in telling their story. How? Graphic novels and comics are a visual medium; they tell the story by using imagery to do the heavy lifting alongside the dialogue and text, but it is imagery that they rely upon to tell the story. Comics have a structure that is recognizable: issues, pages, panels. If you’ve read some comics, you know precisely what to expect. And while that superstructure is here in the physical sense, the authors do much more with it, and create a visual language and a graphical vocabulary.

This first panel is a traditional comic panel, easily recognizable to anyone who has read a comic:

But many pages go much further. Look at this second image and the information density here:

We have a tense standoff between forces of the revolution and a mercenary outfit. But look on the left and you also see the story behind the story, the consequence of the revolution on grain prices as well as orchaleum production (orchaleum is a material needed for FTL travel; Lutheria has an abundance of it). Many pages of Free Planet use infographics like this to enhance and enrich the story.

This is a story about how fragile a revolution can be, and how the aftermath of success can affect the characters and the world itself. Using the visual vocabulary, we get a full sense of just what the costs of victory have been. The infographics, maps, and charts such as the one seen above do the heavy lifting of worldbuilding that would be difficult to replicate in prose.¹ We get a sense of a revolution, a planet, and the characters who are all on the edge, all of them under stress in the aftermath of the revolution. The novel focuses on the disappearance of one of the leaders of that revolution, and in the process gives us a “tour” of the revolution, both in the present and in key moments leading up to its success. Free Planet is entirely effective in using its sui generis approach to tell its story.

As a result, for me, Free Planet did not seem like a traditional comic, and I did not read it like a traditional comic. This was a deep and immersive reading experience that I took slowly and carefully, lingering on details in the graphics and visual vocabulary. It was like reading a dense space opera novel, once you don’t batter through with speed to flip pages, but rather linger on, thinking about the word choice and the scene being set. And for all of its graphical use, Free Planet has as much in common with that dense space opera novel as it does more traditional comics. I can’t imagine the amount of effort and resources it took to create Free Planet; it has to be an order of magnitude harder to accomplish. The fact that it is done so well is a testament to the work that the creators have put into it.

Thus, Free Planet has immersed me and engaged me deeply into its story, characters, backstory and worldbuilding. There is something hopeful and scary and unflinching about the story here—revolution and change are possible—but there is no happily ever after, and it takes work, a lot of work, to handle what comes next. The story of what comes after the revolution is as complicated and messy and interesting as the story of the revolution. Through the imagery, characters, and graphics of Free Planet, I was able to get my head around the costs of that revolution. And to be clear, those costs are high. And we do see bits and pieces in flashbacks of the struggle, but just enough for context, for understanding what the characters and the world of Lutheria are in for, now. But the point and focus of the graphic novel, always, is “what now?” And of course, what the revolution means. Each of the characters wants freedom… but what that actually means is not a single thing. And those definitions of freedom can and do clash.

The comic itself proclaims touchstones to Saga, and to Dune, and those are good reference points to those wondering just what kind of world this is and whether you might like to immerse yourself into this story and its characters. Other touchstones connected for me as I read the story. One in particular I want to bring up is Andor, the series as well as Rogue One. The series and the movie are at their core about getting the revolution off the ground, about how resistance is not futile, and how opposing tyranny can have high costs. So it is set “earlier” in a cycle of resistance and revolution than Free Planet is. But what the Andor saga shows, as Free Planet does, and what the main line of the Star Wars movies do NOT, is the often uneasy and prickly alliances and pieces of that revolution. Luthen, in Andor, is trying to put together a whole host of different factions into the Rebel Alliance.² And those factions are often at odds with each other as with the Empire and have very different ideas on what freedom from the Empire’s tyranny would be like. Free Planet shows that those contradictions and tensions are still there after the revolution. Readers of history (or listeners of, say, The Revolutions podcast) see this dynamic again and again.

One final note. As you could see from the panels above, the cast and society and world of Free Planet is diverse along a variety of axes, ranging from a mostly POC cast to a wide range of genders and sexualities. Lutheria and its inhabitants are a world and a people trying to find itself among a riot of diversity, and trying to find those commonalities and find strength in that diversity is part of the story of the comic. There is a definite Spanish/Brazilian flavor to Lutheria, and we see that not only in the cast, but in the use of language as well.³

I look forward to reading more issues of Free Planet, and continuing this fascinating and engaging story.

NB: The work of Aubrey Sitterson has previously been covered at Nerds of a Feather in some of the Thursday Morning Superhero columns.

NB: Although I do not do a lot of Hugo Award Nominations for the category Best Graphic Story or Comic, Free Planet #1 is going on my nomination ballot.

Highlights:

• Unique, enthralling and engaging format for visually telling the story
• An important story: what happens after the revolution wins.
• A diverse,queer and rich set of characters.

Reference: Sitterson, Aubrey and Dougherty, Joe. Free Planet Vol. I (Issues 1-6) [Image Comics, 2025].

¹ Ideas that come to mind include the use of footnotes, or perhaps the Dos Passos method of conveying information via metatexts, that has been since appropriated, adapted and evolved by authors like John Brunner and Kim Stanley Robinson. ² That is a bit of nice worldbuilding in Andor and Rogue One, isn’t it?  The core movies have the rebellion as a unified thing, with a unified command… but the name of the group is the Rebel alliance. Alliance of *what* is a detail that had to wait to be explicated. ³ And that, of course, makes me think of the Viagens Interplanetarias novels of L. Sprague de Camp.

POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I'm just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.

6 Books with Aubrey Sitterson

Aubrey Sitterson is a comic book man. Based in Los Angeles, he is recognized for his ferociously idiosyncratic creator-owned work, blending literary aspirations with genre exploration. His best-known works of fiction include the geopolitical space opera Free Planet, fight comic character study No One Left to Fight, and populist superhero series BEEF BROS. Additionally, he is the writer of the exhaustively researched nonfiction tome The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling.

Today he tells us about his Six Books

1. What book are you currently reading?

Recognizing the importance of a balanced diet, in addition to contemporary comics and other periodicals, I try to always keep a nonfiction and a historical comics read going simultaneously. Right now, the former is Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game, a detailed, personality-based exploration of the 19th century military and intelligence sparring undertaken by the British and Russian Empires in Central Asia, particularly Afghanistan. In addition to being the beginning of a dynamic that would continue through the Cold War with significant impacts today, it's also a rollicking, imperialist adventure story.

On the comics front, I'm finally reading Elfquest, which has always been an embarrassing gap in my comics knowledge; it's as wonderful as everyone says it is. Wendy Pini's control of gesture and character design are unparalleled, functioning within a newspaper and European comic strips tradition that, because of its remove from most contemporary US comics, hits like a ton of bricks today; not to mention how outrageously sensual all the character interactions are, without ever feeling salacious. Plus, like The Great Game--I'm discovering a theme--it's also a ripping adventure story.

2. What upcoming book are you really excited about?

The Daniel Freedman anthology Stimulus. Daniel sent me a PDF of it months and months ago and I adored it, despite being keenly aware that--because we share a similar comics philosophy--reading it digitally was a pale imitation of the real thing. Working with a murderer's row of artists, all chosen for their specific talents, Daniel presents a collection of sci-fi stories that reward slow, careful reading and deliberate thought, with interlocking and recursive themes. And, as evidenced by how stoked I am to get the physical edition, it also rewards rereading.

3. Is there a book you’re currently itching to re-read?

Dave Sim's sprawling, experimental, abrasive, and controversial Cerebus isn't just one of my favorite comics of all time, I think it's the best comic of all time and one of the best works of written English in any medium. Sim accomplished what I aspire to: A comic that achieves novelistic depth not despite the medium but through it, utilizing, dusting off and innovating formal approaches that are always tied to his overarching fixations and the work's byzantine thematic layering. I read the full thing in college and it blew the top clean off my skull; over the past few years, I've been going back through the collections and am even more impressed than I was as a younger man. After I finish this volume of Elfquest, I'm planning to tackle the acclaimed Jaka's Story volume.

4. How about a book you’ve changed your mind about – either positively or negatively?

It took me at least three running starts, over the course of half a dozen years, to make it through Dune. Well before the movie, I knew it was something that--on paper--I should love; in addition, I wanted to love it; I wanted to be a Dune guy. Not just because of the high regard in which it was held but because it was this big, sprawling, uncompromising text, so deep and complex as to feel esoteric. But on the first few reads, I found it punishingly dry; I think it was down to two things: 1) Trying to read it like an essay that has to be fully digested as opposed to a work of art meant to wash over you, and 2) Reading it--like a fool--digitally.


Eventually, something clicked for me and I devoured all of the Frank Herbert books. While I'm still torn on my opinion of the individual volumes, I adore them all as part of a whole; it's the platonic ideal of a long-running series, reveling in the freedom to explore different approaches, settings, tones and characters, while remaining in disciplined service to the work's overarching themes, layering in depth and complexity along the way.

5 What’s one book, which you read as a child or a young adult, that has had a lasting influence on your writing?

My favorite author in high school was Aldous Huxley; he still ranks extremely highly. While I dug Brave New World and Island was probably my favorite, the one that stuck with me the most is Point Counterpoint. It's a stunning piece of work, with a sprawling cast generally freaking out about the convulsions of the early 20th century. The character work is flawless, with Huxley simultaneously constructing and deploying instantly relatable archetypes, such that it feels both prophetic and timeless. But the aspect I've never stopped thinking about is the interplay between the characters' lengthy conversations, the larger issues lurking around the edges, and their relationships with one another, including the romantic.

Point Counterpoint is big, messy soap opera but it's also about big, messy ideas; concepts and challenges so complex and complicated as to defy the simple explanations found in parable and direct metaphor. Instead, Huxley mirrors the complexities of these challenges--political, social, economic, and moral--with the characters' ardently held but often inconsistent worldviews. I've always aspired to create work this challenging, with this type of depth; work brave enough to admit that there aren't any simple answers to questions worth asking, with complexity and ambiguity that inspire rumination in readers.

6. And speaking of that, what’s your latest book, and why is it awesome?

My latest book is Free Planet, an ongoing series from the legendary Image Comics. Free Planet is space opera about what happens after the revolution is won. The Freedom Guard, a group of revolutionary heroes, is tasked with safeguarding the freedom of Lutheria from threats without and within. The problem, however, is that--just like in this great nation of ours--they all have completely different ideas about what complete freedom entails. It's informed by extensive research into real world revolutions and civil wars, with what Robert Kirkman calls "rich, intricate worldbuilding"; think "Cordwainer Smith meets Noam Chomsky" and "Sci-fi G.I. Joe defending space Venezuela" and you're partway there.

Throughout Free Planet's creation, cocreator/artist Jed Dougherty and I have aspired to utilize the comics medium to the utmost, attempting to match Huxley's depth and complexity through the use, not just of prose, but images, design, and their communication with one another on the page. It's a holistic approach to comics; rather than creating a story and breaking it into issues, panels, and pages, the book is ideated and written as an art object, built of overwhelming spreads featuring maps, graphs, charts, and infographics on top of all the sci-fi action and soap opera drama. It's not to be read quickly; it's a world you're meant to slow down and luxuriate within. And best of all? There's a full graphic novel waiting for you, with new issues landing at your local comic shop every single month.

--

Thank you, Aubrey!

POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I'm just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.

Thursday Morning Superhero: Good News Edition

 As we get closer and closer to the end of 2020, we can all use some good news.  I wanted to share some good comic book news in my second to last TMS post this year. 

Good News #1 - Beef Bros on Kickstarter!

Aubrey Sitterson has team up with Tyrell Cannon and with colors from Fico Ossio to deliver the feel good book of the decade!  Dubbed as an aspirational leftist superhero comic featuring a pair of himbos who take on sketchy cops and landlords.  The colors and art are bodacious and Sitterson is challenging his supporters with a variety of beefer challenges to spread the positivity that is enveloped in this book.  I thoroughly enjoyed Sitterson's "The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling" and "No One Left to Fight" which also featured Ossio on colors.  Join me as a fellow Beefer!

Good News #2 - The return of Sweet Tooth and Netflix news!

Earlier this year I mentioned that Sweet Tooth was optioned by Netflix, but now production has started in New Zealand and I am hopeful that this will translate well to the small screen. In potentially more exciting news, Sweet Tooth: The Return dropped yesterday and I cannot wait to explore the world that Lemire created again. I will admit that due to the distraction of the news cycle I did not make it to my LCS to pick up a copy, but I cannot wait to read it later this week.  

Good News #3 - SDCC Holiday Merchandise!

Even though the conventions to 2020 went online, I still find joy every time I see the SDCC logo or Toucan. My son's virtual background on Zoom is the San Diego Convention Center so when I saw that SDCC was offering holiday merchandise I started immediately planning some Christmas gifts. I particularly like the denim jacket, the Hall H pin, and Holiday Ornament.  The "Front of the Line" pin is a bit of a taunt, but I thought that was also a nice touch.

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

I am going to mix things up a bit for today's entry in an attempt to try something new here on Thursday Morning Superhero.  My write-up/review will focus on what I consider one of the bigger books for the week followed with other brief recommendations. If you have any thoughts on it leave a comment below or tweet at me (@newhousebailey).

Undiscovered Country 1:

Set in 2059, the book opens with a crew on a helicopter entering US airspace for the first time in 30 years.  A plague called the Sky Virus threatens life as we know it in the US and there is a possible cure somewhere within its border walls.  The bigger question is how did we reach a point where the US has cut itself off from the world?  

When you rack up as much debt as the US has, things tend to get difficult when your creditor wants you to pay up.  In 2021 China called on the US to pay back its debt and it triggered what would eventually be called "The Sealing".  This lengthy process ended with a massive wall surrounding the US and "Air Wall" technology that was developed by DARPA and is some sort of electric barrier that is invisible to the naked eye.

Given this history it is understandable that there was a lot of tension as this team embarked into uncharted territory and as this story progressed the crew had no idea what they would find within the walls of the US.  It certainly caught me by surprise and I am looking forward to learning more about the competing factions, the interesting creatures that have appeared, and who is really behind the message the recruited this team from the outside world.

This book arrived on my pull list with a lot of hype, but given the A-list talent that is collaborating on this book it isn't surprising and might not be fair.  Co-authors Scott Snyder and Charles Soule have been blowing up my Twitter feed promoting this book and the duo of Ciuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini absolutely crushed the visuals. Round that out with colors by Matt Wilson and lettering by Crank! and it is not surprising this was released with much fanfare and 1,325 variants.

I am really happy that this lived up to the hype and promises to be an interesting take on what our future might look like.  Sadly given our current political climate it seems all too realistic.

The rest of the pull list:

My pull list featured six books this week and sadly saw me not pull the trigger on Doctor Aphra despite my excitement towards the new arc.  The new Locke and Key was the first book I read this week, and while extremely enjoyable, it was more of a tease setting up the big event for later this year. It was a cute one-shot with a very good doggie. While a bit darker than I expected, I was pleasantly surprised with the new Yondu book from Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler. I continue to enjoy the current Daredevil arc and Gerry Duggan's Dead Eyes.  If you pick up one title this week outside of Undiscovered Country, you can't go wrong with No One Left to Fight by Aubrey Sitterson. It features the best looking pages and colors on the stands this week from Fico Ossio and Raciel Avila.  It is really one of the best looking comics I have ever seen from a color standpoint which is not something I say often. 

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

Now that I have finished my re-read of N0S4A2, I am looking forward to watching the series on A&E.  I watched the first episode the other day and was surprised at how different it was from the book, but I am going to maintain an open mind about the changes as television is a much different medium than a book.  Thinking about this series, the upcoming Watchmen series, Amazon's The Boys, other comic book based series, and the fact that we have a future Locke and Key series and Y: The Last Man, reminded me that we are truly in a golden age of comics (and comic adjacent books) reaching the small screen. Streaming platforms have embraced comics after the success of The Walking Dead and I am all for it. I am sad The Sixth Gun series wasn't picked up, but would love to see Sweet Tooth and Mind MGMT on the small screen in the future.

Pick of the Week:
No One Left to Fight #2 - This series from Aubrey Sitterson and Fico Ossio is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It is a book that I would recommend to my friends who have an interest in comics, but think that all books are about superheros. Sitterson and Ossio do an incredible job focusing on the complicated relationships between characters in the first two issues. Vale is a hero who saved the world a few years ago. He has returned to join his old classmates and visit the site of his battle and connect with his old teacher. Timor, a former friend and classmate, measures his worth compared to Vale and is having a hard time seeing his warm reception. Ossio's color palette and art in this book feel like a fusion of Saga and anime and immerse you in this fantastical world of interesting people and creatures. Vale is also suffering from some sort of condition and there is a shady looking being who was spying on them as they ventured out to meet their teacher. I fear that the individual is going to return to Timor's home and attack his kids. This is a great time to hop on board with this series as the first issue got a reprint so picking up issues one and two from your local comic book store should be a breeze.

The Rest:
Babyteeth #15 - Donny Cates and Garry Brown got me good on this issue.  It has been a while since we have visited Sadie and Clark, but it looks like they have escaped back through the portal due to the literal wrath of God.  God shows up and kicks ass in a chaotic and thrilling fight that is a delight to read. Sadie's father appears to be redeeming himself and it looks like he is finally putting his daughter's needs before his own. After Sadie and crew made it through the portal I was not prepared for what happened next and am beyond thrilled for the next issue.  This made me want to go back and read issues 1-14 again.


Daredevil #9 - Matt Murdock is asking some pretty big questions as he ponders God and why humans exist on this planet we call Earth. Talking to a nun about understanding signs from God, Murdock learns about a missing boy. In addition to this he is currently trying to understand why Mindy Libris, of the Libris crime family, called a hit on him. She is a sweet person who is tangled in the drama of her family and only wants a simple life.  After helping out with the missing kid, despite wanting to retire from being Daredevil, Matt finds himself in Mindy's bookstore. With the current arc being penned by Chip Zdarsky you can guess where this is heading.




POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.