An epic journey:
Minkowski Space Opera
by rick olivares
Minkowski Space Opera was one of those books that
stood out during the Summer Komikon. The title alone evoked those classic Japanese
manga/anime in the vein of Stardust Memory and Fairy Navigator Runa looked and the
use of watercolors made it stand out from the sea of mostly black and white
fare of local indie creators.
Grandiose? Ambitious? But aren’t all epics?
I am somewhat of a sucker for watercolor art having
loved J.M. DeMatteis’ and Jon J. Muth’s Moonshadow for Epic Comics and all of
Kyle Baker’s works (from the comic book adaptation of the Dick Tracy film to the
recent graphic novel, The Fifth Beatle). So I picked up Minkowski Space Opera.
However, creator Aaron Felizmenio’s art style
reminds me of Mike Grell whose works I have been collecting since I saw him on
Legion of the Super-Heroes and followed all the way to Warlord, Starslayer, and
Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters. And that was a huge part of what got me to
pick up Minkowski Space Opera.
Minkowski Space Opera is a
sci-fi/fantasy epic about loner named Randall who in a Hayao Miyazaki way (a
nod to the classic Spirited Away) suddenly finds himself displaced from the modern
world he knows into the fantastical world of Arcadia where science and magic
co-exist. He befriends a warrior monk named Artus who pledges to help him find
his way home.
Artus relates the tale of Aeon who
frees a powerful celestial being called the Minokawa (that will remind you of
Marvel’s Phoenix – the force of nature and not the Jean Grey character) from
its prison in order to tap a fraction of its energies to save his beloved who
is dying.
Randall suddenly finds himself
mysteriously appearing in another part of Arcadia where he meets the mysterious
Nathaniel who supposedly tells the truth about the Minokawa that is a devourer
of worlds. Having feasted on all the world sin the solar system, the Minokawa
met its match when it failed to consume the planet of Arcadia whose peoples
used their collective will to imprison the being in a cage called “the
panorama”. Now the being is free and is seeking to finally consume Arcadia.
There’s promise in Minkowski Space
Opera that according to the author was loosely inspired by the Bagobo tale of
the Bakunawa that consumed the sun hence the cause of eclipses. Felizmenio’s
art is lush and gives life to Arcadia. He is young and can you imagine how good
he could be when he gains further mastery of his already good illustration skills.
The dialogue though needs a little work
as does certain parts of the story in order to move it along. The mash of
science, mech, magic and fantasy is certainly challenging. If Felizmenio can
pull this off it could pave the way for the fantasy genre in Philippine comic books
that is currently dominated by mythology, horror, and Japanese comic book inspired
stories.
Whether Randall is a modern-day Luke
Skywalker who allows his imagination to run wild as a means of escape from
boredom or is an unlikely hero who lands in the midst of a Narnia/Westeros-like
land as its savior has yet to be established. And who is telling the truth –
Artus or the mysterious Nathaniel? What is going on? Or should Randall be
penning the next Lord of the Rings?
Minkowski Space Opera definitely bears
following.
Notes: One of the cool
things about Aaron Felizmenio’s Minkowski Space Opera is he includes a
soundtrack that is available for free download online. It helps to listen to it
while reading the comic.
The 40-page Minkowski Space Opera is now available at Comic Odyssey at Robinson's Galleria for P150 bucks.
 |
| With Aaron Felizmenio |
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