Reviews

Rogue Planet, by Andy MacDonald, Nick Filardi, Cullen Bunn

tonyf78's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lostinthepaiges's review against another edition

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3.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni-Lion Forge Publishing for a chance to read and review!

Rogue Planet intrigued me as soon as I set eyes on the cover. Andy Macdonald that real quirky sci-fi flare that I love to see in space themed graphic novels.

Rogue Planet is simply: weird (but you know I love weird).

It follows the crew of the salvage vessel Cortés as they land on a rogue planet after receiving a distress signal. The crew arrive hoping to make big money from salvaging the wreckage they expect to see, but instead find themselves in a life or death situation.

Without spoiling the novel, I can’t go in to detail of the plot. But what I can say is that Rogue Planet was a freak-you-out kind of deal. The prologue scene immediately sets the tone for the story to come, showing infatuation, obsessive worship and violence. And from there on it’s a wild ride. There is an obstacle at every turn for the crew, and a unique concept behind the goings on in this novel.

This is the kind of story you could imagine HBO picking up and making in to a smash hit TV series.

The only downside for me is that the story did move along very quickly, and I could have done with a few more panels on some scenes. Overall though, I enjoyed Rogue Planet, and would recommend it to sci-fi lovers who don’t mind graphic gore and language.

jentidders's review against another edition

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3.0

B-movie style gory sci-fi with plenty of visceral body horror - not the most sophisticated or original plot, and it was hard to tell the characters apart once they were in their space suits, but it was a fun enough way to spend an hour.

melgonvyn's review against another edition

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4.0

A fresh take on classic horror sci-fi !

This graphic novel explores the themes of space travel, novel planet and alien discovery with a twist of thrilling suspense and horrific outcomes. It has great artwork with extremely detailed graphic monstrosities, unfortunately for those who hope for a good night sleep after this.

Although a very original plot that follows a classic approach of science-fiction space discovery, the story was a little all over the place and I personally would have preferred a more focused intrigue.

Fun read nonetheless!

inkandplasma's review against another edition

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4.0

I received this eARC from Oni Press. It has not affected my honest review.

3.5 stars!

I absolutely love the art style of this graphic novel. I think it's beautiful, detailed and I really like the colour palettes used. Honestly, I'm obsessed with the cover, and there were some panels throughout the graphic novel that were so beautifully visual I couldn't stop looking at them.

Initially I wasn't sold on the weird flesh-block aliens. I guess I like my horror more understated than gory. But I did like the way that the powers unfolded. The way they got into the crew's head was very eerie and I liked the 'cause' of their power. The ending was a lot, lot stronger than the start. I actually really liked the way it ended, it was clever and powerful and I didn't predict it. The way Glory learned to manipulate the surroundings was excellent. Also the way that the ship can pilot around their unconscious bodies was more deeply horrifying to me than anything else - I'd love to read a horror story about that.

The characters didn't totally jump out at me. Particularly because of the space suits they were all a little interchangeable, and I struggled to find them distinct enough to distinguish between them at points. I also felt like I didn't really emotionally connect to any of them. There were brief moments of backstory to make them feel more like whole characters but overall I didn't know much about them as individuals - not always possible to flesh out in a graphic novel, but a bit disappointing nonetheless.

jhstack's review against another edition

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3.0

While I liked the writing and artwork of this 'Alien'-esque limited series by Cullen Bunn, it left me wanting more backstory and filled-in gaps. (e-galley from NetGalley)

librarypatronus's review against another edition

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3.0

This was spooky, with a lot of action, which I liked. I wish it had been somewhat clearer what was going on, as I felt a bit lost? The art definitely went with the creepy vibes of the story.

readingvicariously's review against another edition

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3.0

In terms of sci-fi horror, Rogue Planet doesn't break any new ground. But the comic also manages to elevate above being a completely awful rip-off. There's enough here - between the intriguing concepts and provocative artwork - to keep readers engaged in the story, even when they're confused or find themselves feeling déjà vu. Though previous entries in the genre have tackled the same concepts with better results, the creepy images and stellar coloring make this one still worth a read. Just lower your expectations and have fun with it.

Full review will be posted at www.puzzleboxhorror.com

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

leelah's review against another edition

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2.0

Classic, claustrophobic tale contained to a crew of a ship answering a distress call on a Lonely Orphan, a planet ripe for scavenging. But what awaits them comes straight from the nightmares.

SciFi horror striving to be similar to Event Horizon, Alien or Life, but never quite reaching those heights.
I was pretty stoked for Bunn/Filardi colab being a huge fan of both of them, but Rogue Planet failed to do anything memorable or particularly original. To be fair, illustrations are excellent: with horror, visuals can and need to be effective in comics, and I would say artists accomplished that: from body horror scenes to panels of weirdness and otherness with wild palette of colours. So, if I would to put a blame on something, it would really be the story. The whole concept is very derivative and ultimately doesn't look like something it was put an effort in and I know Cullen Bunn can do much better. I really love [b:The Sixth Gun, Vol. 1: Cold Dead Fingers|9359546|The Sixth Gun, Vol. 1 Cold Dead Fingers (The Sixth Gun, #1)|Cullen Bunn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421280931l/9359546._SX50_.jpg|14243003] or [b:Harrow County, Vol. 1: Countless Haints|25486101|Harrow County, Vol. 1 Countless Haints|Cullen Bunn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445791075l/25486101._SY75_.jpg|45259940] where he managed to get that mix of weird, adventurous horror with characters that stuck with you, so I'm a bit bummed this was so uneventful.
I didn't particularly dislike it, but I didn't like it either which I guess is kind of an answer in itself. Total ambivalence.

I received this ARC true NetGalley and would like to thank them, publisher and authors for this opportunity. All opinions are my own.

chloeandherbooks's review against another edition

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2.0

Author: Cullen Bunn, Andy MacDonald, and Nick Filardi
Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Fiction
Age Range: Adult
Format: E-Book Advanced Readers Copy
Published: 9th March 2021
Pages: 131
Rating: 2 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Rogue Planet is a twisting descent into cosmic horror from an all-star creative team including the writer of the runaway hit The Sixth Gun and the artist of Doctor Strange!

Salvage vessel Cortes tracks the Lonely Orphan, a planet with no star system to call its own. Somewhere on this hostile rock is a payload fit for a king. To attain it, though, the crew of the Cortes must brave razor rock, poisonous vapors, treacherous footing, and… the most mind-numbing horrors imaginable. Struggling to stay alive, they are beset at every turn by horrors from their own nightmares. Now, they have discovered that they are not alone on the planet, and the other inhabitants welcome them… as sacrifices to an elder god.

Stranded on a vicious, murderous, seemingly intelligent planet, the crew of the Cortes must reevaluate what it truly means to survive, and what they are willing to do in order to spare their own lives. 

CAWPILE

Characters – 4
Atmosphere – 5
Writing Style – 4
Plot – 4
Intrigue – 5
Logic – 4
Enjoyment – 4

Overall: 4.3

Review

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Death, and Murder.

This review contains spoilers.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Oni Press, however, this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to Oni Press for providing me with a copy.

I’ve been wanting to read more Sci-fi and graphic novels so when I saw this on Netgalley I requested it and I was so happy to be approved, however, I felt let down by Rogue Planet. One thing I did enjoy about this was the art style, especially the coloring. My main issue with this was that I wish that things were better explained, such as the aliens and the planet. I also felt that the characters weren’t very fleshed out so it was hard to connect with them when we barely knew anything about them. Another issue I had was that I felt the ending was very abrupt, so I wish this was a bit longer and better developed.

Overall this was a disappointing Sci-Fi graphic novel that had an abrupt ending and underdeveloped characters, although I did like the art style