Void Trip #3 Review

It's hard to imagine a science fiction story not having an element of adventure in it. It's the type of adventure that sets some apart from the others. Some are on intergalactic adventures searching for new worlds to inhabit, others are fighting the alien overlords and sometimes it's all about space pirates scouring the universe for otherworldy treasure. Sometimes a science fiction/adventure story is even more than just simple entertainment, it makes you consider your own future and fate of your own species. In other words it puts you in the story and makes you think, this could really happen and then what? Void Trip is that type of story. It's action, adventure and as the story continues it becomes more and more thought provoking.

Void Trip Issue 3
Story by Ryan O'Sullivan
Art/Cover by Plaid Klaus
Lettered by Aditya Bidikar
Production by Shanna Matuszak
Image Comics

“From writer RYAN O'SULLIVAN (Turncoat, The Evil Within, Warhammer 40,000) and illustrator PLAID KLAUS (Turncoat), comes the story of Ana and Gabe, the last two humans left alive in the galaxy. They're low on fuel, they're low on food, and they're low on psychedelic space froot, but they're still determined to make it to the promised land: hippy-paradise, super-planet Euphoria”.

Having now discovered the hippy-paradise super-planet Euphoria, our space hobos finally learn that age-old truth: the worst thing that can happen to a person is having their dreams come true”.

The last two issues we met Ana and Gabe, the last two humans in the galaxy. They're on a wild trip, literally and figuratively, to find Euphoria. Euphoria is supposed to be their salvation. They've been wandering, for who knows how long, and their only true goal is to reach Euphoria. Along the way they meet some interesting characters and are being hunted by some sort of bounty hunter. Ana and Gabe both seem like slackers who really have no ambition except for when it comes to eating froot, which is what causes different side-effects but mostly ridiculous hallucinogenic trips. Even with these character flaws they've managed to make themselves likeable. Readers will want to know where they go and what they get up to. It's strange because there aren't too many stories where you're on the side of the slacker. Even Spicolli wasn't totally likeable until Mr. Hand made him get his stuff together. He was just the kid in class that everyone laughed at. You can easily point and laugh at Ana and Gabe but you'll find yourself curious as to where they'll go next. It's sort of like the human race is left in the hands of Bevis and Butthead but with a lot less frog licking and no Cornholio. You want Ana and Gabe to succeed in their mission because they're all that's left of the human race.

The last issue left us with a bit of a cliffhanger. They reached Euphoria and then the big question, what now? These two are slackers so once they achieve their goal it's not like they have any plans after that, so where will the story go from there? That's where their story gets really interesting. Now that they've made it to the promised land they discover that Euphoria isn't owning up to its name. Ana believes she's uncovered the truth on a billboard, but by only wiping away a small portion of dirt, because slackers only put in the minimum amount of effort, she uncovers the wrong message. Once the robots realise Ana and Gabe are there they take them as prisoners. This is where the story will make you think. Humans are currently building robots but are they considering the consequences of the way they are being built and how they're programmed? What if, years from now, humans built robots to fight wars so that humans wouldn't have to?

It's a bit of fresh air to read a story that's not only fun but one that gets the grey cells working.