Amongst the Stars
by Sam Hurcom
It’s fair to suggest that of all the genres in comics, novels and film, science fiction is probably the one best placed to keep readers and viewers alike on their toes. That’s not to say that sci-fi doesn’t always fall into the trappings of formulaic storytelling. But the very notion of setting a story beyond the realms of reality - in the depths of space, the distant future or a fantasy world of imagination – results in narratives that are often highly original and innovative.
Enter Jim Alexander and his quite challenging sci-fi drama Amongst the Stars. Anyone aware of Alexander’s previous works, like Good Cop Bad Cop, will have some idea of what to expect from his latest release: a minimalist writing style that affords the reader as little information as possible, was top of my list. That may seem like something of a criticism but I assure you it is certainly not. If there’s one thing Alexander is good at doing, it’s making readers do a lot of work in interpreting and understanding what the hell is going on in his stories. One cannot simply consume Alexander’s work in the manner we have often become accustomed to in the age of high tech gadgetry and short attention spans. You have to actively engage with the work before you, and, dare I say, reread it once or twice.
It’s fair to suggest that of all the genres in comics, novels and film, science fiction is probably the one best placed to keep readers and viewers alike on their toes. That’s not to say that sci-fi doesn’t always fall into the trappings of formulaic storytelling. But the very notion of setting a story beyond the realms of reality - in the depths of space, the distant future or a fantasy world of imagination – results in narratives that are often highly original and innovative.
Enter Jim Alexander and his quite challenging sci-fi drama Amongst the Stars. Anyone aware of Alexander’s previous works, like Good Cop Bad Cop, will have some idea of what to expect from his latest release: a minimalist writing style that affords the reader as little information as possible, was top of my list. That may seem like something of a criticism but I assure you it is certainly not. If there’s one thing Alexander is good at doing, it’s making readers do a lot of work in interpreting and understanding what the hell is going on in his stories. One cannot simply consume Alexander’s work in the manner we have often become accustomed to in the age of high tech gadgetry and short attention spans. You have to actively engage with the work before you, and, dare I say, reread it once or twice.
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So what exactly is Amongst the Stars all about? That, in many respects, is a question of interpretation. The comic’s blurb states that ‘Aliens have nightmares too. Us!’ which would imply some form of contact between humans and an otherworldly race. But this is in no way an alien invasion story (or, likewise, a human invasion story); Amongst the Stars is fundamentally a discussion on the nature and merits of discovery, and the pursuit of finding life beyond our world.
Earth is constantly referred to as the ‘Regressive planet’ and a ‘collective’ alien race known as the Tchailung (collective in the sense of sharing one stream of consciousness or foregoing the necessity to survive in physical form) stumble across it in their ceaseless exploration of the cosmos. They are horrified by what they find, and deeply affected by what they see as the barbarity and brutality of life on Earth. Here is where interpretation takes the place of solid fact; whether the Tchailung are trapped on Earth for some time, or whether the physical nature of life on the planet causes them extreme levels of distress, is a little unclear.
In some way it’s almost irrelevant – the human race has no idea of any alien contact occurring and the Tchailung resort to fleeing as far across the galaxy as they can from the regressive planet. All the while, a human physicist (Stephen Hawking in all but name) theorises on the birth of stars and the probability of life beyond our solar system.
The question fundamentally posed by Alexander is why – why do we (as a collective species) constantly look to the heavens and lavish ourselves in sham-escapist talk of other worlds and other races; why do we turn away from the life we live to something undiscovered and potentially far, far worse? The human condition is bent on the pursuit of overcoming suffering, and in a secularised age devoid of Gods and paradise above the clouds, we turn to theoretical physics to give us the answers to the meaning of life and the eradication of suffering inherent within it. The main irony of course is that suffering is wholly unavoidable – this is testified to in Amongst the Stars as the Tchailung gain nothing in their exploration of the cosmos other than the degradation of their own existence. It’s hardly an original philosophical line of thought, but it’s one encapsulated in quite a wondrous and intriguing way.
Earth is constantly referred to as the ‘Regressive planet’ and a ‘collective’ alien race known as the Tchailung (collective in the sense of sharing one stream of consciousness or foregoing the necessity to survive in physical form) stumble across it in their ceaseless exploration of the cosmos. They are horrified by what they find, and deeply affected by what they see as the barbarity and brutality of life on Earth. Here is where interpretation takes the place of solid fact; whether the Tchailung are trapped on Earth for some time, or whether the physical nature of life on the planet causes them extreme levels of distress, is a little unclear.
In some way it’s almost irrelevant – the human race has no idea of any alien contact occurring and the Tchailung resort to fleeing as far across the galaxy as they can from the regressive planet. All the while, a human physicist (Stephen Hawking in all but name) theorises on the birth of stars and the probability of life beyond our solar system.
The question fundamentally posed by Alexander is why – why do we (as a collective species) constantly look to the heavens and lavish ourselves in sham-escapist talk of other worlds and other races; why do we turn away from the life we live to something undiscovered and potentially far, far worse? The human condition is bent on the pursuit of overcoming suffering, and in a secularised age devoid of Gods and paradise above the clouds, we turn to theoretical physics to give us the answers to the meaning of life and the eradication of suffering inherent within it. The main irony of course is that suffering is wholly unavoidable – this is testified to in Amongst the Stars as the Tchailung gain nothing in their exploration of the cosmos other than the degradation of their own existence. It’s hardly an original philosophical line of thought, but it’s one encapsulated in quite a wondrous and intriguing way.
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There’s far more to be said on the matter but that would only be my opinion, In terms of the actual content of the work as a whole, there are one or two good and bad points that stand out. Mike Perkins art is something of a triumph. There are inconsistencies that he admits to in the foreword, but they pale to insignificance when you witness the awesome manner to which he depicts the immense columns of cosmic dust and the birth of stars, all in sheer black and white. It’s reminiscent of Jack Kirby’s ‘blobs’ method of creating huge expanses of darkness and light with which whole planets and systems live and die. It was simply my favourite part of this comic, closely followed by Alexander’s writing itself.
There is a downside to this in that the comic as a whole is very short. I feel more depth could have been added, especially to the human characters on Earth and their subconscious feelings of being contacted. There is a further short comic, Growing Pains, attached at the end of the book, but its inclusion is a little bit of an oddity. It’s not that it’s bad in any sense but simply out of place. After reading Amongst the Stars for the first time, I was submerged in a deep bubble of thought and contemplation, skimming through individual sections to try and grasp what I had just read. The comic should have ended there, leaving readers in this melancholy mood of wonderment. Growing Pains sort of burst that bubble and without giving anything away, is far more suited as an additional file in the Good Cop Bad Cop series.
These are quibbles and perhaps I’m being too critical. If nothing else Alexander’s work lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve read the final page. He deserves great credit and admiration for that; standing above the shoulders of near countless other sci-fi fantasies and adventures is a challenge enough in itself. It’s a challenge Amongst the Stars overcomes quite successfully.
There is a downside to this in that the comic as a whole is very short. I feel more depth could have been added, especially to the human characters on Earth and their subconscious feelings of being contacted. There is a further short comic, Growing Pains, attached at the end of the book, but its inclusion is a little bit of an oddity. It’s not that it’s bad in any sense but simply out of place. After reading Amongst the Stars for the first time, I was submerged in a deep bubble of thought and contemplation, skimming through individual sections to try and grasp what I had just read. The comic should have ended there, leaving readers in this melancholy mood of wonderment. Growing Pains sort of burst that bubble and without giving anything away, is far more suited as an additional file in the Good Cop Bad Cop series.
These are quibbles and perhaps I’m being too critical. If nothing else Alexander’s work lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve read the final page. He deserves great credit and admiration for that; standing above the shoulders of near countless other sci-fi fantasies and adventures is a challenge enough in itself. It’s a challenge Amongst the Stars overcomes quite successfully.
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