Friday, April 16, 2021

SCI FI REIMAGINING OF JULES VERNE NOVEL

Image Comics

Author Jules Verne (1828 - 1905) set the foundation for the action adventures and science fiction stories enjoyed today by writing novels such as Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. He explored technological themes when many of these topics were fantasies rather than the reality we know today. To his credit many of Jules Verne's stories are still amazing to read even though they are more than a hundred years old and I've encouraged my kids to pickup some of his titles when selecting library books to bring home. Captain Nemo isn't just the name of my favorite sub shop, he is an incredible literary figure created by Jules Verne.

Stopping by my local comic book store to look for something new and interesting to read, I discovered LIGHTHOUSE by Image Comics. This comic book is a reimagining of a lesser known Jules Verne novel "The Lighthouse at the End of the World." It takes an adventurous tale set in a time on Earth filled with wooden sailing ships and pirates and retells it with a science fiction twist featuring rocket ships in outer space.

lighthouse comic review

Jules Verne's "Lighthouse" is set in the 1850s in a time before the Panama Canal when rickety sailing ships from Europe and the East Coast of the United States must make a hazardous voyage around South America's Cape Horn to get to the West Coast of America and Asia. To try and make the voyage safer a lighthouse is built along the ocean coast of Argentina to assist passing ships in navigating treacherous waters. A small skeleton crew maintains this lighthouse built at the "End of the World" and is relieved by new staff to maintain the facility via a supply ship which visits every three months.

The story begins with head lighthouse keeper Vasquez along with helpers Moriz and Felipe beginning their shift in this out of the way local. Shortly after the supply ship departs though there is a new arrival at the lighthouse ... Pirates! They plan to utilize the lighthouse to wreck ships instead of guide them. The pirates will then scavenge the wrecks for booty. 

The pirates quickly dispatch Moriz and Felipe but Vasquez escapes into the wilderness surrounding the lighthouse. Vasquez then struggles to stay alive while also circumventing the pirates efforts to utilize the lighthouse to misguide passing ships into crashing their vessels. Can Vasquez hold out until the supply ship arrives with help?

Jules Verne Lighthouse

Image Comics "Lighthouse" takes the plot of the 1850s era Jules Verne novel and sets it in a distant future sci fi setting. This lighthouse is a giant super computer on a space station in a far off corner of the galaxy that assists space ships in navigating transit through wormholes which allow mankind to travel millions of light years in short periods of time. Without this space station to guide ships traveling via wormholes is very tricky and dangerous. The lighthouse though has made traveling throughout outer space almost routine.

At the edge of the galaxy, there is a giant supercomputer known as the Lighthouse. The only brain powerful enough to navigate ships through a sargasso of naturally occurring wormholes, potentially cutting months or even years off a spaceship’s journey. Three humans, one alien, and a nanny bot have manned the remote station for years in relative peace until the arrival of Captain Kongre and his band of cutthroat pirates threatens the future of civilization and reveals that each of the Lighthouse crew has been hiding a shocking secret.

Like in Jules Verne's original story, the small crew maintaining this remote space station finds itself highjacked by pirates. Why try and take over ships when they can just crash them into asteroids and scavenge the wrecks with help from the Lighthouse. This comic book adaption of the Jules Verne "Lighthouse at the End of the World" adds a sci fi twist to the plot and takes the story off in a few different directions from the original novel adding some originality to the inspiration material. 

Geek Daddy

Image Comics' first issue in a 5-part mini series is on comic shop shelves now. Featuring captivating artwork by Brian Haberlin and a fun science fiction spin on a classic adventure tale with this adaption written by David Hine, I'm enjoying reading the first installment of Image Comics Lighthouse which starts off the mini-series with a double-sized issue. I'm geeked to keep reading the rest of the Lighthouse story from Image Comics!

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