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REVIEW: Trailblazers #1-#5 Echoes Past Glories of Sci-fi

Blazing its way onto the comic scene, Robert Deas‘ eye-catching Trailblazers picks up ten years after protagonist Troy played the role of martyr and sacrificed himself to save his home planet of Nova II. After being given another chance by the mysterious Overseers, Troy finds himself smack dab in the middle of a showdown that makes the Hunger Games seem relatively mundane.

The first few episodes of Trailblazer offer readers some backstory (easily acquired by first reading the original weekly comic The Phoenix), a battle royale in space, and a group of characters that range from resurrected humans to the alien version of Ryan Seacrest.

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The first few issues of the comic itself feels like an amalgam of Gladiator, Green Lantern, and the final segment of Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods in which *SPOILER* a slew of terrifying creatures escape from their cages and all hell breaks loose.

Though, in the case of Trailblazers, said visually terrifying creatures are really just alien prisoners that are making a break for it before they’re stuck fighting to the death in front of a crowd of raucous individuals that I assume are the alien equivalent of the people on Earth who pay money to attend WWE matches.

The aesthetics of Trailblazers heighten the story itself by adding a visual depth to a relatively generic plot. With a welcome use of bright colors, the comic manages to pack in a whopping amount of detail by expertly contrasting each character and setting. No character looks alike, something that feels important to me considering Trailblazers takes place in space and therefore has an abundance of varying species, and the various space-settings make it fun to jump from one panel to the next.

While I’ve seen this story before, I think that Trailblazers works because of its familiarity. In a cinematic decade that’s brought us space flops, hits, and sagas (Green Lantern, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Star Wars to name a mere few) Trailblazers fits right in and offers readers a tone and general formula that they’ve already proven they enjoy.

There’s a clear protagonist whose personality seems to be equal parts Peter Quill and Rocket Raccoon, a mysterious higher council that interferes at specific interludes, and an ominous threat (naturally dressed in all black) that is looking to put an end to Troy Trailblazer for good. Trailblazers quite literally has all of the components that made all of the aforementioned productions successful, meaning that it will likely be a series that readers will continuously enjoy.

There is something to be said for familiarity and, while it’s too early to tell whether or not there will be a twist wholly unique to this particular comic, Trailblazers offers readers the opportunity to dive into a new version of an old, and beloved, tale.

Be sure to check out Trailblazers and pay a visit to Robert Deas’ website for more information on the titular hero! Then head on over to Twitter to let us know how you like the latest addition to the space-hero genre!

About the author

Silje Falck-Pedersen