The "Stars Wars"saga is complete, "Star Treck" has been cancelled, and "Serenity" has come and gone from the theaters. What's a science fiction fan to do for their Sci-fi fix? Well, there's always comics to turn to. Although I have to say that science fiction is a strange, strange genre. On one hand, there's a ton of it out there, and to some people it seems like a genre that exists for the sole purpose of establishing fan clubs and milking them for all their worth (trust me, the idea doesn't sound that crazy). But to the people who are into the stuff, they know that science fiction has the potential to be gripping and captivating. The best science fiction stories told, like the three mentioned above, are the kind that spark the imagination like nothing else out there. "Planetes" is the kind of science fiction series that has raised the bar to such a high extent of imagination and quality, that other series will be reaching to match it for years to come. Never before have I read a series that has political viewpoints, memorable characters, epic scope, complicated storylines, and some of the best artwork rolled into one series and make it look easy doing it.

So simple, yet very poetic.

The story of "Planetes" revolves around a group of space garbage men. Yes, you heard me: Space garbage men. The group consists of Hachimaki, Fee, and Yuri. Their job is to collect trash in space. See, the story takes place in a time where people live in space colonies. However after a major accident involving a floating screw causes the deaths of several people aboard a space shuttle, the government has deemed it necessary to hire people to collect all the floating parts in space, to help decrease the chances of more accidents. Hachimaki works this job, but he dreams of a day when he can own his own space ship one day and be his own boss. There are other main storylines aside from Hachimaki's, but I hesitate to talk about them because "Planetes" isn't so much about the story as it is the experience. As "The Da Vinci Code" proved, you can have a complicated story and still have a weak book if the characters are nothing but fluff. While there is defiantly a story in "Planetes" (and a very good one at that), it doesn't become that obvious until the second book, and even then the story seems much lighter then it really is when you try to describe it. Make no mistake though, "Planetes" is a masterpiece. There are no aliens. There are no light saber type weapons. The cast doesn't even leave the current solar system, preferring to focus on concurring Jupiter instead.

The dialog in this book is very smart.

And yet, the series achieves an epic scope with simple ideas that are fleshed out to great potential. The golden goose in this series is discovery. Throughout the book discovery plays a major role in the series. Where will man go? What is mans purpose? How can you do this without that? How far will some people go to accomplish their dreams? Themes of love are discussed, ambition plays a big role for key characters, commentary on how far man has advanced is discussed, there's even some commentary on smokers and their bad habits (in one of the few truly humorous stories in the book). Characters evolve in the series, everyone has secrets and things that make them tick. This all sounds pretty standard as far as epics are concerned, but the storytelling excels in every scene. It excels because the author seems to be pushing himself to achieve the greatness his characters are reaching. The characters talk about the future a lot in this series. They also talk about their dreams. These conversations are what helps make this series interesting. The characters speak just like you and me. They talk about their hopes, fears, and even their insecurities. Most comics with lengthy monologs tend to get cheesy and stupid, where the characters seem to only sound like they know what they are talking about, but the dialog feels right in this series.

Maybe because the dialog feels genuine, which is something that rarely happens even in some of the excellent comics out there. In situations where a roadblock gets in-between one of the main characters and his/her goal, the character has a panic attack, wondering if the situation will improve. Does it? The answer is not so simple, and that makes for great writing. The artwork is some of the best artwork I've seen in a comic. It is extremely detailed, it has great scope, and most importantly, it activates the readers emotions with every line that is drawn. It's not that the author draws the comic as if it were a home movie from space that sticks out, it's the fact that he does this and he makes us care about it too! The character designs are of high quality, both realistic but engaging. This is the kind of artwork that should be studied at Yale (for that matter, so should the writing). One thing that may disappoint people is that this series is short. It's only four books long, with the forth being split into two books because of it's length. Now here's the thing you must understand: This series is as long as it needs to be. The series begins at the right spot, and it ends perfectly.

That said, it does seem like such a brief period of time we get to spend with the characters. I mean, we get to spend a lot of time to know about them. Heck, I learned more about these characters in four books then I learned about my neighbors in twenty YEARS! But I still want to know more. Is that such a bad thing? The short length can't be looked at in a negative light though, because everything that needs to happen does happen, and maybe if the series were longer I'd be complaining that the author was stretching the story out too much. I know, there's no pleasing me. So sue me. Another thing worth noting is that there are also plenty of extras in the books that are worth while. From interviews, to color pages, to the fact that these books are just plain huge, Tokyopop really excelled when they printed these books. So the question now is who should read this? Easy answer: Everyone. I know that some people don't read Sci-fi because they fear those people who go to conventions and stuff, but "Planetes" is not your typical Sci-fi series. In fact, I'm going to go as far as to say that Tokyopop only labeled it a Sci-fi series because...well, because they had to label it SOMETHING right?! Make no mistake, the story is set in space, but the emotions, characters, and storylines are universal. This is one of the best series I've ever read.

- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -