Spaceman #6

Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Eduardo Risso

We are now two-thirds of the way through Azzarello and Risso's new series, and we finally get to see how the other half lives in this so-far dirty and bleak vision of the future.

Tara is a young girl who is one of the stars of a reality show centred around two famous actors and the multicultural group of children they have adopted, each of whom have passed through an American Idol like vetting process in the eyes of the nation.  Tara was kidnapped, and then rescued by Orson, the titular Spaceman who was genetically engineered to travel to and terraform Mars, and who now lives in a rough neighbourhood scouring a sunken city for salvageable garbage. 

A number of different interested parties have been circling around Tara and Orson since he took her under his wing, and now they, and the group of wharf rat kids that Orson hangs out with, are hatching a plot to return her home safely.  This involves their going to the 'Drise', the wealthy, walled-off part of America where the rich still live in comfort.  Orson's being followed by a film crew, and by another Spaceman, who is also looking to get Tara back.

Azzarello continues to build his own slang and futuristic argot for this comic, making it as linguistically fascinating as Risso makes it visually stunning.  This series is not being talked about enough - it is very, very good.