COMIC BOOKS 101: Best Science Fiction Books for Star Wars Lovers!

So with the upcoming release of Star Wars: Rogue One, I figured I’d give some shout outs to other space/cosmic themed books that deserve a look! It should go without saying that while Star Wars Comics are not listed here, definitely go check out the new series by Marvel as each one has been pretty incredible and help re-shape the current cannon universe.

 

SOUTHERN CROSS

STORY: Becky Cloonan ART: Andy Belanger, Lee Louridge

Publisher: IMAGE

Synopsis: Alex Braith boards the Southern Cross tanker to Titan in order to collect her sister’s remains on that faraway mining planet and maybe find some answers. But the mystery only gets more complicated once the spaceship takes flight. What did happen to her sister—and to other passengers on the Southern Cross? What exactly has Alex gotten herself into this time?

COPPERHEAD

STORY:  Jay Faerber ART: Scott Godlewski, Ron Riley

Publisher: IMAGE

Synopsis: Copperhead is a gritty mining town, out there in the middle of nowhere on a middle-of-nowhere planet, Jasper. Clara Bronson is the new sheriff in town, and right from the beginning she finds herself in a whirlwind of trouble.

BITCH PLANET

STORY: Kelly Sue DeConnick ART: Valentine De Landro, Cris Peter

Publisher: IMAGE

Synopsis:  Bitch Planet is Kelly Sue Deconnick’s fun take on the Blackploitation/Women in prison exploitation (is that a real genre?) combination set in a distant planet in the not so distant future. It’s violent, it’s raw, and a helluva crazy good time!

UFOLOGY

STORY: James Tynion IV, Noah J Yeunkel ART: Matthew Fox, Adam Metcalfe

Publisher: BOOM!

Synopsis: Becky Finch never wanted to be special. She just wanted to be a normal high school student in the small, Midwestern town of Mukawgee. Malcolm Chamber wanted something more. A destiny. An answerfrom the stars. When Becky is marked by an alien’s touch, she’ll stumble into a mystery she never wanted. A mystery that almost ripped apart their parents’ lives 12 years ago. She’ll need the help of her eccentric young classmate, Malcolm, as she finds the power within herself to uncover the truth. Make no mistake, while it shares a lot of themes with classics like E.T. and X-Files, there are plenty of surprises in this story!

LETTER 44

STORY: Charles Soule ART: Albert Albuquerque, Guy Major

Publisher: Oni Press

Synopsis: There’s something up there. As newly elected President Stephen Blades reads the letter left for him in the Oval Office by his predecessor, he learns this stunning secret: seven years earlier, NASA discovered an alien construction project in the asteroid belt. A crew of heroic astronauts was sent to investigate, and they’re nearing the conclusion of their epic journey. The problem is not everyone wants the mission to succeed, and what exactly does it mean for the world if they do?

DESCENDER

STORY: Jeff Lemire ART: Dustin Nguyen

Publisher: Image

Synopsis: The comic begins 10 years after a giant robot destroys a planetary civilization, in a world where machines have been outlawed by a (human) governing body. Tim-21, a child robot designed to keep human children company, suddenly reboots and begins an adventure.  Descender is a rip-roaring and heart-felt cosmic odyssey that pits humanity against machine, and world against world.

BLACK SCIENCE

STORY: Rick Remender ART: Matteo Scalera, Dean White

Publisher: IMAGE

Synopsis: Grant McKay, former member of The Anarchistic Order of Scientists, has finally done the impossible: He has deciphered Black Science and punched through the barriers of reality. But what lies beyond the veil is not epiphany, but chaos. Now Grant and his team are lost, living ghosts shipwrecked on an infinite ocean of alien worlds, barreling through the long-forgotten, ancient, and unimaginable dark realms. The only way is forward. The only question is how far are they willing to go, and how much can they endure, to get home again?

 

There ya have it, a pretty good list of some books that have been out for a while and make excellent gifts to the space opera/action lover in your family or just for your own amusement! Have any other books you’d suggest? Sound off in the comments below!

 

-Jeremy Scull