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Graphic Novels for 6 Types of Sci-Fi Fans
There may be overlap between fans of science fiction and readers of graphic novels, but when we think of comics, even those of us who know better tend to think of superheroes first. And superheroes form brilliant genre with loads of storytelling potential—but they’re not nearly the end of what the graphic medium can do. That’s hardly a revolutionary statement to make, but over the past few years in particular, some of the very best high-concept sci-fi can be found in the graphic novel section. (Even as great prose writers like China Miéville have gotten into the act—the master of the New Weird scripted a loony update of Dial H for D.C. Comics.)
There are things prose can do that can’t be accomplished in any other medium. In the same way, comics can effortlessly blend words and images to create an experience that you can’t quite get anywhere else. Whatever your favorite type of sci-fi story, there’s probably a graphic novel or series that fits the bill.Here are some of our favorites.
Space Warfare!
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Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
For fans of: Farscape, Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War
She’s from Landfall, an enormous world known for its highly advanced technology. He’s from Wreath, a small moon where the people favor magic over tech. He’s got horns. She’s got wings. In this epic space drama, Alana and Marko, two soldiers from opposing sides of a brutal galactic war, are on the run together after having fallen in love and procreated. Their quest to protect their newborn daughter Hazel takes them to all manner of stunningly imaginative alien worlds. Amid the speculative spectacle (and the bad guys with TVs for heads tracking them down), it is a story about family, and the strength and sacrifices required of parents. It’s not a romance, exactly, but Alana and Marko have already become one of our favorite sci-fi couples of all time.
Apocalypse!
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Low, by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini
For fans of: Hugh Howey’s Wool, Arthur C. Clarke’s The Songs of Distant Earth, China Miéville’s The Scar
Billions of years in the future, Earth’s sun has entered its next phase: expansion into a red giant that will eventually swallow the Earth and much of our solar system. As Low begins, the Earth’s surface has been unlivable for tens of thousands of years, two underwater cities compete for scarce resources, and probes search the stars in an increasingly futile hunt for habitable alien worlds. This vividly realized setting is the backdrop for the story of the Caine family. In the watery apocalypse, they endure devastating tragedy while holding out hope for the future; in fact, they’re just about the only ones who haven’t descended into either despair or complete decadence. There are mutant sea creatures and pirates, but it’s ultimately a personal story of holding on even when there’s nothing left to hope for.
Satire!
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Bitch Planet, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro
For fans of: Ira Levin’s The Stepford Wives, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
In a medium that hasn’t always had the best track record, these days sci-fi comics are frequently putting women front and center. Case in point: in the very near future, we’ve found a solution to the problem of females who just won’t conform—SPACE JAIL. Funny, violent, and unapologetically feminist, this book tells a very different story of women in prison. Both an homage to, and a parody of, old exploitation films (with maybe a bit of HBO’s Oz thrown in), it’s a broad, biting social critique with plenty to say about the ways we treat ladies who refuse to follow the rules. Some of the most satisfying moments come from Penny Rolle, one of the best sci-fi supporting characters in any medium. She’s big, black, and loud, and also effortlessly, heroically unashamed.
Pulp!
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Starlight, by Goran Parlov and Mark Millar
For fans of: Almost anything by Edgar Rice Burroughs, particularly the John Carter books
We’re cheating a bit with this one. A pretty good case could be made that it is as much a superhero book as a sci-fi one, but Mark Millar’s pulp-infused story of an old man recalled to glory owes more to Buck Rogers than to Superman. Duke McQueen is a John Carter-style space hero who saved the alien world of Tantalus as a young man. Now widowed and retired back on Earth, even his kids don’t really believe his stories of intergalactic adventure. He’s a nuisance to be politely tolerated, and his best days are well behind him…until Tantalus calls him for help. It’s an action-filled, surprisingly poignant story of a guy who gets one more chance to kick alien butt.
Monsters!
The Wake, by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy
For fans of: The Thing, Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Another book with a pair of well-written female leads send us back underwater, but The Wake sends us down in a very different context than Low. This one’s more about science-run-amok, with just a hint of Creature from the Black Lagoon, and a strong social conscience. In the kinda-sorta-present, Dr. Lee Archer leads a team that’s captured a mysterious mer-creature for study. It doesn’t go well, leading to a bloody game of hide-and-seek. A dual narrative takes place 200 years in the future, where a young woman named Leeward is living out the consequences of humanity’s short-sightedness.
Robots!
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Alex + Ada, by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn
For fans of: Isaac Asimov’s The Positronic Man, Her
What would a list of sci-fi stories be without at least one robot? After a bad breakup, Alex gets an unusual gift from his well-meaning Grandmother: a top-of-the-line Tanaka X-5 companion android, capable of simulating real human interaction and, naturally, sex. It doesn’t take long for Alex to develop an affinity with his new girlfriend, and he takes the highly illegal step of unlocking her sentient consciousness. In doing so, he gives her self-awareness, but invites a prison sentence for investing her with free will. It’s an indie spin on old sci-fi questions: what makes a person a person, and when does it become unacceptable to treat a being as disposable?
What are your favorite sci-fi graphic novels?