As the prisoner transport ship Golgotha 01 floats through space it is caught by an asteroid shower. Soon the integrity of the ship is in question. The crew reacts as best they can to the dire situation. Looking for guidance from their leader, they hale Colonel John Mercer for leadership. Unfortunately, Mercer believes that they are doomed. He believes it so much he aids in the destruction of the ship and crew. As the book progresses you follow Mercer as he deals with his own mind as it attempts to betray him. From having conversations with his naked ex-girlfriend to dialog with a peeled banana about him truly being insane, Mercer hits every branch of the crazy tree on his decent in to madness.
Titian’s Void is a great looking book. Sean Phillips does a great job creating a dark and brooding ambiance of deep space. Not only that, the art more than adds to the Mercer and his spiral into madness by creating a series of great visuals.
The one thing that didn’t sit well was the pacing of Mercer’s Shining like battle with himself and his own fears, insecurities and such. The scenarios that Herik Hanna use ran a little too long and they just ended up trying to “outdo” one another. Granted there’s such a limited amount of time to embrace Mercer that some of the eternal struggles don’t resonate. It’s really a case of hit or miss, it’s so hard to find that balance in such a short amount of time.
In the end, Void isn’t a bad book. It keeps a decent pace and does have some moments of interest. If anything, sit back and enjoy Phillips’ art because it’s pretty much awesome.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Herik Hanna Artist: Sean Phillips Publisher: Titian Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/2/14 Format: Hardcover