Page 1 - Suspended Animation
Lost in Space: Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul
by Bill Mumy, Michael Dutkiewicz (Bubblehead, 2005)
"Danger, danger, Will Robinson," droned Robot, "Lost in Space is back!" So, is that a good or a bad thing?
Forty years ago, in a galaxy called TV, there was a show about a family, a robot and a doctor named Smith who were lost in outer space. Most folks who watched it either loved or hated Lost in Space. The boy actor who played Will Robinson loved it, and after a multitude of failed attempts, has brought it back to a paper stage, a massive graphic novel.
This novel includes a John Severin cover, Stan Lee forward, rare photographs and an interview with movie mogul Kevin Burns. Every element of the television show is evident, plus a few that never made it to the small screen.
The first new facet is that the campiness that so many viewers found distasteful in the original series is gone. Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul is a well-written, serious adventure full of plot twists, lots of characterization and action that will entertain most readers. The occasional nod to the cheesy stuff in the old show even made this callous reviewer smile.
And although the artist struggles to consistently capture the likeness of the original characters, his visual storytelling is excellent, his reality-based style is distinctive and most readers will set aside the finished tale with a feeling of satisfaction. By the way, the answer to the earlier question is: it is a better thing than it was so long ago.
This book is highly recommended for hardcore fans, and recommended for everyone else who enjoys a three-hour tour aboard the Jupiter II instead of the Minnow -- in outer space.
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For information on Vance's short stories,
comic books, and available work, query
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last Updated August 15/2008
c2008 Boudewyn Illustration & Micheal Vance