November 18, 2003
ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE
Written by Larry Young and Drawn by Charlie Adlard and Matt Smith
Published by AiT/PlanetLar
I have no clue what took Larry Young so long to put out this book. It seems like a natural and obvious idea: take all three ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE graphic novels and put them together in one nifty-looking little package. But take a while it did, and I’m open to forgiving Larry for this one; the collected AIT, as presented in a lovely hardcover, is a beautiful package.
The original (and still the best) AIT tale, LIVE FROM THE MOON, follows the adventures of a brave and dedicated news team as they wind up being chosen to chronicle the exploits of the world’s richest man as he attempts to colonize the moon. Of course, good intentions are rarely that, governments and other networks are unhappy, and the
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mob is now a nuclear power with a grudge, so it isn’t going to be the easiest story that Channel 7’s intrepid band has covered, but it sure is a gas to read. Young created a perfect blend of high action, space drama, and fun characters, and it holds up years after its original publication. You can feel the sense of wonder and joy radiating from the pages; Young is a child of the late 60s who watched Armstrong take that step and has been chomping at the bit waiting for the next belated step in our journeys outward to begin. LFTM is a wonderful evocation of Young’s childhood.
Book two is the weakest of the three tales. Done as a prequel, SPACE: 1959 was created partially as an experiment in “pop comics,” a style designed to evoke memories of the fifties comics and sci-fi magazines and their quick stories. Unfortunately, this leaves Young’s story feeling a bit bland. The idea is solid: an earlier news team discovers a covert attempt to get to the moon a decade ahead of when it finally happened. A sly nod to the origin of the FANTASTIC FOUR, the central figure, Colonel Macadam is trying to beat the Reds into space and establish American superiority over the skies. Conceptually, there’s plenty in 1959 that works, but as it was originally published as a three-issue miniseries, there’s very little room to get to know the characters and let them develop arcs. Still very entertaining and readable, but a letdown from the first graphic novel.
The final book in the collection is ONE SHOT, ONE BEER, and it gets back to focusing on character and some of Young’s other strengths. 1S1B is a hodgepodge of stories being told in the only bar on the Moon, “Cool Ed’s.” Now, regardless of how Larry might present himself online, I’ve found Young to be exactly the type of character he’s writing in this story: a perfect bar storyteller. Stand with him at a con, carry on with him over e-mail- Larry Young has a way of making you feel like you’re sitting hunched over a glass of alcohol listening to him talk up whatever’s on his mind. The people who populate “Cool Ed’s” each have wildly varying stories, but it never feels like any of them is hitting a false note, because the atmosphere is note perfect. The only semi-sour point in 1S1B is that it ends with a smidge of a cliffhanger for the AIT universe, and Young hasn’t announced any plans to follow up on the end of book three.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t note the artwork by Charlie Adlard. Adlard began contributing to the AIT stories halfway through LIVE FROM THE MOON, and his moody and versatile artwork fits quite well, particularly in 1S1B. Adlard is an industry veteran who has drawn everything from GREEN LANTERN to X-FILES to WHITE DEATH, and his work on the AIT books is among his best stuff.
The collected AIT hardcover is actually printed at a smaller size than the original graphic novels, but the work doesn’t suffer in any way (which is true for many black and white books). Design for the dust jacket is nice, and the hardcover’s production values are very good. So, there’s one “A” level story, one “B-“ level story and one “B+” level story, along with a class “A” production design. That gives those wacky ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE a solid grade of A-.
Should It Be A Movie?
LIVE FROM THE MOON has been in development for quite some time now, so I don’t think anyone needs me to say so, but really, this is one that needs to get done. LFTM is a solid concept, sellable as a tentpole picture, and it has a great variety of characters to keep an audience invested. It even includes an older hero and villain along with its younger female and male heroes. LFTM could be a cross-demographic smash like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN if someone would just get a good script completed and a good production team moving on it.
However, to my mind, ONE SHOT, ONE BEER has almost as much potential as another-media spin-off. Not as movie material, mind you, but as a television product. There hasn’t been a great series set in a bar since “CHEERS” went off the air, though the occasional episode of STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE got close. In fact, if you combine those two, you have the pitch for a series set at “Cool Ed’s.” Perfect. Make sure there’s plenty of construction, etc., happening on the moon, and you have a full cast of characters to choose from. Umm…shit. Maybe I should be partnering with someone and developing this one. Attention producers with money: have your people call mine, or write me at the address below!
I tend to think that 1959 is underdeveloped and maybe not quite ready for the silver screen, but then someone made a movie out of STEEL, so what do I know? One thing I do know: 1959 would definitely need a different ending.
In the meantime, I’m off for a nap, hoping to once again have that dream where Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas shows up at my door with a crate of butterscotch pudding and a pair of handcuffs, telling me she knows exactly how to make me “shut up.”
Review copies may be sent to: Marc Mason, 1756 S. College Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281. Send e-mail to the addy below. Genuflecting is solely reserved for E-I-C Chris Ryall. He’s just that cool and he deserves it. [Ed. note: he’s not actually that cool and he deserves nothing of the sort.]
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