I am giving this book a three just because I can, and the fact that I think I might have missed something very important, so it is for the potential of the things. Then again, Trapped on Zarkass could just be a big pile of alien poop and there is not anything deeper than just plain old entertainment.
However, Yan’s adaptation of Stefan Wul’s novel (I believe I have the order correct on that) is not going to be entertaining for everyone. It is not for people who are easily offended. And it is not necessarily politically correct. It is not an easy to read because it is very screwy.
Didier Cassegrain illustrated this madness. And in the end, despite some of the more graphic images of this graphic novel, they are the best feature. They are colorful, perfectly stereotypical for what I consider more of a comic graphic novel, and that makes them comfortable. Unless someone has a chest full of bullets, their head with a pile of poop on it or their T&A really hanging out.
You see, the original story was two male heroes (we learn this in a short interview afterwards), and the collaborations made a modern, feminist twist with having them be two, completely opposite women. One is a big, ol’ criminal butch-like woman, the other a delicate princess. Then why both are dressed as if they are stripper hikers, I am not sure. And the feminist twist continues with women being in charge, being the “men” of the world. Right down to the cigars, swearing, being rough and being jerks. The overall feeling had me saying some not so sisterly things about some of the women. The point of their journey becomes less about the missions they are on, and more about them.
Once I got past the rough edges, trying to enjoy myself, I get to the side story of one character and how horrible she is to the natives of the planet. And she is supposedly the good one. I couldn’t get past the colorful language (substitute ovaries, vagina, etc. for “balls hurting” and so forth). And if you can get over the child of the story calling her mother “pommy” you might be okay. Until the end. Where two large plot points take over that made me almost say, “Screw it.” But I had invested so much time, I figured might as well finish. And it did. Abruptly. You do not see how the two points unfold. Maybe there is/will be a sequel, maybe not, but I think I am not that curious to find out.