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Review: The Martian by Ryan Dirks. 16 pgs, 3 colors, $6+sh.

Astrophysicist/astronaut Yuri “Red” Toivo awakes from cryo-sleep after a disastrous malfunction forces his spaceship to land on Mars. When Yuri goes looking for his missing crew, he discovers an unexpected presence deep inside the planet’s central mountain.

This book is the final product of Frank Santoro’s most recent comics correspondence course. As always, I’m impressed with Ryan’s ambitions and skilled execution: he effectively condenses a high concept science fiction tale into 16 pages, which is no small feat. The story is more akin to 2001 than Alien—it’s about encountering a mysterious lifeform and communicating with it, rather than exterminating it—and the tone shifts from an initial hard sci-fi setup to themes of spiritual transformation and metaphysics.

Again, this is all done in 16 pages and never feels rushed or forced. Ryan understands the importance of silence and gives enough space for the reader to enter Yuri’s headspace, which also contributes to the sense of creeping desolation permeating the barren surroundings. Economy is key in this comic—its setup is efficient and allows for more atmospheric moments to build after the first act. I’d also like to add that the cover doubles as the first page which is a brilliant way to immediately draw the reader into the story and set everything in motion.

My favorite part of The Martian is the 2 page spread (pictured) where Yuri enters a portal that transports him to a mysterious corridor. This part is silent except for a lone “WHOOSH” that signifies an opening hatch. Each surface is drawn with a gridded texture that runs directly into the page’s white gutters, a tension between negative space and mechanical perspective that creates the paradox of a claustrophobic void. After attending Frank Santoro’s layout workshop at Floating World, I can see how this influenced Ryan’s spread based on the page’s “live area” (read more about this here under the Layout Workbook entries). This composition perfectly communicates Yuri’s state of mind in navigating a disorienting but meticulously constructed alien environment.

Get in touch with the good doctor Dirks if you’d like a copy of The Martian. This is only his second comic and he’s already displaying some formidable chops as a storyteller and cartoonist. Also, shout out to hand lettered comics. Nice work, man!