By Patrick Wolf

A splice between Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy, The Space Heists of Vyvy & Qwerty is an action-packed, sci-fi, comedy that’ll have you laughing on one page and holding your breath on the next. I enjoyed this series a lot more than Star Wars and found it just as hilarious as Guardians. I would recommend Vyvy & Qwerty to almost anyone and I’m confident the kickstarter for issue #2 will be just as successful as the first.

As the title suggests, The Space Heists of Vyvy & Qwerty takes place in a universe with robots, aliens, and space travel. The story kicks off with a snippet of our space robbers pulling off a hilarious heist, but quickly gets real when the crew is confronted by a posse of killer robots. To make matters worse, Qwerty’s long lost creator seems to be mixed-up in the mess and the robots appear to be the handiwork of someone very close to the crew.

As you can tell, I really like this series: the action scenes are fun and suspenseful; the humor is spot-on and well-delivered; the characters are unique and well-rounded; and the plot is fresh and exciting. Nothing in this book irked me and I’m genuinely excited for the franchise’s upcoming second installment.

In particular, what really stood out for me was the story’s humor. Reminiscent of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the comedy in Vyvy & Qwerty hit every mark. Unlike other comedies that are often cliché, derivative, or just plain uninspired, Vyvy & Qwerty’s humor stems from the personalities of the story’s protagonists. Every joke tells you a little more about these characters, while at the same time, pushing the story forward and keeping a smile on your face.

Another element that caught my attention was the story’s action scenes. Trigo really has a knack for creating fluid, interesting chase sequences, while Presnall’s talents don’t just end with his writing skills: he has a clear understanding of art direction and it really shows in his choice of panel layouts and close-up shots. I found the sequences to be fun, cool, and largely unpredictable.

If I had any criticism for this series, it would be the title: ‘The Space Heists of Vyvy & Qwerty’ is long and clunky, and the names ‘Vyvy’ and ‘Qwerty’ are a bit too outlandish—even for robots and aliens. While, from a technical standpoint, it makes sense for these characters to have weird names, I’m concerned that, from a marketing perspective, it may turn off some readers. When I first saw the title, I wasn’t excited; and when I saw it coupled with the artwork, I assumed it was just going to be another generic space comedy.

Luckily, I pushed past my prejudice and picked-up the book, but I fear prospective readers won’t be as generous. I hope I’m wrong because this book is truly worth every penny, but in a market that’s flooded with hundreds of comics coming out every month, you really need to stand out. That said, The Space Heists of Vyvy & Qwerty is off to a great start and is certainly worth picking up. The creators are currently hosting a kickstarter for issue #2; so if you’re interested, give them a Google.