From Markosia and with Volume 2 being released soon, here are some thoughts on Genu Volume 1.
Homo Sapiens represents the evolutionary zenith of the genus Homo: we have created scientific and technological miracles in less than 300,000 years. Before us, however, another Homo species lived on Earth for almost two million years. That’s the amount of time that it would take for the Roman Empire to rise and fall again about 1,000 times. This species was Homo Erectus. You know: those grotesque cavemen whose greatest technological achievement was a bunch of carved stone hand-axes.
Written by Tommaso Todesca, Alex Franquelli & Giulio Srubek-Tomassy and illustrated by Aleksandra Fastovets
Or was it?
This was a cleverly written story.
First things first though. One thing I liked about this story is that it throws you in at the deep end. There is no explainer or introduction at the beginning – you get to read (and enjoy) the story and work things out for yourself.
Yes, at the end, we get a recap of the situation. And this fits in nicely. We’re all intelligent people – and this comic treats as that. You get to work your way through it and make your own conclusions.
To be honest, the end part could be unnecessary, although it bookends the volume really well.
This is a story about earth, and space. Mercury and the sun. Beings and people. We get some really nice family moments here – some in the biological sense, and some not. There are friendships as well and these are show well too.
The family moments make this a very human read, with some very human reactions.
On Mercury we meet one such family, and what happens to them is very interesting – it’s only the beginning of the tale. I like the information given, as well as the fact that this comic has thought bubbles! You don’t get them so often anymore.
There are spiritual journeys here – it looks like religion does have a place in the far future, so that also adds something to the story – the reason for the setting as well as (possibly) a reason for conflict.
The art is fantastic – the black and white aesthetic adds some real flavour to it – with the tones for space, earth and in ‘Data Earth’ The parts on Mercury were perfect – this is a planet that is seldom used in Sci-Fi (Mars and Venus get it all)
In conclusion this is a highly recommended story – rich in humanity and some excellent Sci-Fi concepts. I feel as though we have only dipped our toe in the ocean of this story and can’t wait to immerse myself in Volume 2.
You can get Genu Volume 1 from Markosia on Amazon/ComiXology or DriveThruComics.
