Orbital Vol 2. Ruptures. Sylvain Runberg (Writer), Serge Pelle (Art), Jerome Saincantin (Translator). Cinebok (2009)

A great science fiction adventure story. Caleb,(a human) and Mezoke(a Sandjarr) are agents of an intergalactic diplomatic corps. They are on the planet Senestam to mediate in a dispute between humans and Javlods regarding the mining for the valuable Trelium. There are factions within the human colony on Senestam, within the Javlods and within the diplomatic corps all of whom are pursuing their own agendas. With the human colony under attack from very aggressive insects called Stilvulls, the diplomatic mission becomes increasingly fraught. The plot moves at a fast pace, the reveals are very well staged and the conclusion surprising and satisfying.
As the second part of a story, this book sidesteps most of the continuity problems that bedevil comics. There is enough information provided in a natural and effective way to easily identify all the actors and for the plot to be completely coherent. The story takes great advantage of the possibilities of science fiction, the scope of the story is widespread and the cast varied. The conflict is nicely balanced between local and the galactic. The actual crisis is local and the factors driving it are clearly shown, the political context intertwined with this conflict between two species is nicely displayed. The galactic implications are also shown, scale is an important aspect to the book. The cast, human and non-human, are well developed and very engaging.
The art is a joy, it is detailed and concrete. The locations, on the human colony, a sentient spaceship or the Javlods' home planet are designed to be sufficiently lived in to feel right. The spaces look futuristic and naturally inhabited by the cast. The art provides a solid context for the actions of the cast. The cast are drawn with a quiet expressiveness that is a pleasure to read, they are communicating with body language as easily as with words and this gives the action an edge and force. Thoughtful, articulate, exciting science fiction comic storytelling, bliss.

Orbital Vol. 1. Scars. Sylvian Runberg (Writer), Serge Pelle (Artist), Cinebook (2009)

A very entertaining space opera that sets up a varied and interesting set of possible story threads to follow up in later volumes. While a conference on Earth meets to consider joining an intergalactic alliance, a party opposed to joining attack the conference killing all the attendees including the parents of Caleb and Kristina. Some years later Caleb is a candidate to join the diplomatic agency of the federation and he is paired with Mezoke, Sandjarr, a race that had just finished a devastating war with humanity. Caleb an Mezoke are sent to the Senestam to resolve escalating tension between a human colony and the native Javlods over mining activity. The multiple threads in the story are well introduced and the political and social tensions are nicely revealed, with a well timed cliffhanger closing the volume.

This is very well crafted, classical space opera. A huge context, an intergalactic federation that has been in existence for thousands of years, is carefully balanced against smaller scale political issues that exist on Earth and on Upsall with the Javlod population. There is a suggestion that these local tensions are tied directly to greater political currents within the federation and this gives the mission a nice set of layers to it. The cast are well defined and move with force and purpose. This volume is mostly concerned with set up, it manages to convey the information in a logical way that moves the story forward rather than slowing it down.

The art is slightly subdued, the colouring cool and there are no splash pages, the panels are varied and match the pacing of the story. The physical context for the story are very well done with an effective mix of detail and blur that suggest the alien and the long established at the same time. The cast are very well defined with the body language well expressed. First rate adventure science fiction.