Review: Sara Rising #3

By Ben Boruff

As someone who believes that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is an overhyped Hallmark card masquerading as a feature film that glorifies home invasion, I am hesitant to connect emotionally with any work that highlights the unlikely buddy-cop pairing of a small alien and a young human, but Sara Rising consistently elevates this scenario to new, socially relevant heights. The third issue of Sara Rising reveals more of Sara’s extended universe, a cosmos that includes a cleanliness-obsessed space-station matriarch and a tiny, fez-wearing gangster named Fez. One of the more intriguing scenes of this issue, however, features a diverse group of pro-tolerance devotees called Acolytes. A cultish version of an Abbott and Costello routine occurs when Sara quotes Stan Lee and the Acolytes subsequently name Marvel’s iconic writer as a prophet who preaches “a fundamental message of service and brotherhood towards all sentient beings.” This comedy of errors highlights a central moral of Sara Rising: simple, sci-fi storylines can offer profound social commentaries—and comic books frequently provide such narratives.

Writer Emilio Rodriguez juggles his characters well, peppering the comic with a pleasant blend of old and new faces. General Benjamin Ulysses Overr’s brief appearance in this issue provides an intriguing commentary on close-mindedness. Sara’s worldview continues to expand, but General Overr remains committed to tunnel-visioned, Earth-centric, anti-alien, xenophobic ideologies. Overr’s rhetoric—“It’s only a matter of time before we see more of them here”—is riddled with logical fallacies. The juxtaposition of Overr and Sara—both humans—presents a spectrum of acceptance: Overr represents the Trump-like, fear-filled, hate-driven approach to other cultures (the “they,” as Rudyard Kipling refers to them), and Sara represents the understanding, welcoming approach (with a dash of naïve curiosity). Bobarrak, Sara’s companion, is somewhere in the middle.

Sara Rising #3 continues Sara’s saga, and it does so with comedy and narrative finesse. The issue flows well, and Sara continues to provide an entertaining and curiosity-driven lens through which readers can explore Rodriguez’s rich universe. Sara is mesmerized by her new surroundings, and most readers will share her sense of wonder. With its witty humor, clever social commentary, BioWare-esque universe, polished artwork, and smooth pacing, Sara Rising is a must-read for sci-fi comic fans.

Score: 4/5

Sara Rising #3
Writer: Emilio Rodriguez
Artist: James Rodriguez
Publisher: Tres Calaveras Studios

Review: Sara Rising #2

By Ben Boruff

Kudos to Emilio and James Rodriguez. For the first time since I read a couple of volumes of Kurtis J. Wiebe’s Rat Queens several months ago, I laughed out loud—really out loud, an earnest laugh that came from my gut—while reading a comic. Sara Rising #2 is a fast-paced tour de force filled with clever social commentary and timely humor.

Sara Rising #2 offers a well-balanced blend of socially conscious humor and alien-filled action, which is important. Though various authors and directors have worked to elevate science fiction to a place of respect, the genre is still plagued by a stigma that portrays it as little more than a collection of robots, phasers, and dystopian clichés. Directors like Alfonso Cuarón and Alex Garland have created cerebral sci-fi movies like Children of Men and Ex Machina, and authors like Issac Asimov and Margaret Atwood have constructed complex worlds in which characters ask pressing questions about life, love, and human nature—but many consumers only notice the neurotic, comic-loving protagonists of The Big Bang Theory. Sara Rising #2 uses aliens and explosions—which hold their own as sci-fi entertainment—as foundations for more nuanced discussions about misogyny, masculinity, and xenophobia.

Most of the women in Sara Rising are tough, and the comic often mocks the fictional patriarchies of Sara’s universe. One such patriarchy belongs to General Benjamin Ulysses Overr, a militaristic, hyper-masculine chauvinist who regrets that his equally militaristic father—“mah daddy”—was anally probed by aliens (“and by God, he took it in an orderly proficient, military manner”). In the first several pages of this issue, a few female characters assert their autonomy. Though both are interrogated by suit-wearing government officials, Sara's mother and Jess, Sara’s best friend, are not intimidated. Jess even condemns the accusatory, victim-blaming nature of male-dominated institutions: “I have a bad attitude because you guys had already made up your minds that Sara was up to no good before you asked me any questions.” Neither character betrays Sara.

Even Bobarrak, Sara’s alien companion, is almost silent for the first half of the comic, which highlights the idea that this is Sara's story, not his. In serial comics, panel space is a zero-sum game: more space dedicated to one character means less space for other characters. Bobarrak is not absent from the second issue of Sara Rising, but he spends much of his time lounging in the background of Sara's narrative. Bobarrak is patient, and he seems to understand that Sara’s story is more important than his.

In Sara Rising #2, Sara begins to rise, literally and figuratively, toward an elevated state of self-awareness and power. Sara Rising has hit its stride.

Score: 4/5

Sara Rising #2
Writer: Emilio Rodriguez
Artist: James Rodriguez
Publisher: Tres Calaveras Studios

Review: Sara Rising #1

By Ben Boruff

In Sara Rising, worlds collide. One of those worlds belongs to Sara A. Vargas, a 16.5-year-old Star Trek fan who does not like English class. The other belongs to a pragmatic alien bounty hunter named Bobarrak. Sara Rising pairs the social commentary of Freaks and Geeks with the sci-fi elements of Greg Mottola's Paul, resulting in a fast-paced, profanity-laden, intergalactic romp that includes a misogynistic fast food manager and an imagination-dependent alien weapon. Sara Rising does not offer anything new—some of the dialogue is distractingly cliché—but it borrows effectively from other works. Sara's social experiences at school are simplified versions of scenes from Mean Girls, and the conversations she has with her progressive best friend are reminiscent of the banter between Ellen Page and Olivia Thirlby in Juno. Bobarrak—or "Bob," as Sara calls him—is a combination of Rocket Raccoon and Green Lantern's Kilowog, and his story so far consists of a crash landing, an awkward encounter, and a gunfight—which is what E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial would look like if the finger-pointing alien was replaced with Garrus from Mass Effect. As individual parts, none of these narrative elements are unique, but Sara Rising weaves them together to create an intriguing extraterrestrial story that is both entertaining and insightful.

As a character, Sara Vargas is endearing, and she has the emotional strength of characters like Hermione Granger and Elizabeth Swann. Sara’s sense of adventure pushes the plot along—“the Hell with it,” she says once before walking toward something new—but the comic’s flavor comes from Sara’s reactions to other characters. Though she faces adversity on nearly every page, Sara does not allow others to belittle her sense of self-worth. When overconfident, wannabe actresses bully her at school, Sara fights back, matching their insults point for point. When her egotistical manager threatens to fire her for mocking his sexist showboating, Sara defends herself, igniting his anger and placing in motion one of the more important narrative threads of the comic.

Given that we learn little about his history in the first issue, Bobarrak’s story seems less important. In fact, though many well-drawn panels feature the alien, Bobarrak, as a character, operates largely as a prop for Sara’s story. We know little of Bobarrak, and one-liners make up much of his dialogue. Sara, who often daydreams of space travel, seems to be waiting for someone like Bobarrak to inject her life with adventure, as if she is a “chosen one” like Harry Potter, Neo, and Frodo. Bobarrak’s existence in the narrative serves as a catalyst for Sara’s rise toward her destiny, which apparently includes high-powered weapons and lots of violence. The relationship between Sara and Bobarrak seems, on the surface, to be an unlikely friendship, much like that of Kay and Jay in Men in Black, but the two Sara Rising characters have a special connection: Sara and Bobarrak are both outcasts, both fighters, which makes their friendship strangely plausible.

If the previews are accurate, the second issue of Sara Rising will offer some intriguing social commentary. I would like to see more narrative risk-taking in the next issues of the comic. Sara is an impressive character, and I want her to exist in a unique universe that offers new challenges. Bobarrak can exist there too, but this is Sara’s story, not his.

Score: 3/5

Sara Rising #1
Writer: Emilio Rodriguez
Artist: James Rodriguez
Publisher: Tres Calaveras Studios (previously NovaStar Studios)