Kaptara, Volume 1 is one strange science fiction comic.

I picked this up at a book sale, where if you bought so many you would get a whole bunch free. This ended up being one of the extra books I grabbed to take part in the deal (because I'm a crazy book shopper). I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, but I like graphic novels and comics so I figured, why not?

Turns out, this book is just NOT for me. My mind felt like it had melted and left me feeling utterly confused. This sort of science fiction is not my cup of tea at all. I can totally appreciate that other people enjoy this, but I'll just sit this series out and let everyone else have their fun.

This felt very 80s/90s alien sci-fi with goofy jokes that just didn't hit with me. There's a group of aliens and people that band together to try to... do something? I Could barely tell you the plot. I can tell you there is a naked wizard who uses his beard as clothing though. That was disturbing.

Overall, not for me. I won't be continuing with this series.

One out of five stars. ( )

The art is definitely vibrant and wild, but the pin-up style was very distracting. It's nice that the men were not immune from the skin-tight uniforms and loving booty shots, but it got tiring very quickly.

While Keith was annoying (and your stereotypical "witty gay"), I did like that he didn't want to return to Earth because he had nothing left for him there. And I did like the fake-out of including the alternate cover of Keith and Lance fighting the fusciamonster even though Lance is killed immediately.

Otherwise, it's not very funny and not very interesting. ( )

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley.

This review was originally published at Full of Words.

Kaptara is very weird and very funny. Both come with the territory when Chip Zdarsky is at the helm, but Kaptara makes Zdarsky’s work on Howard the Duck seem downright traditional. At a basic level, Kaptara is a foul-mouthed piss-take version of classic pulpy sci-fi adventure stories, but it also features a diverse cast and bizarre, gorgeous art.

When the ship Kanga is sucked into a strange anomaly in space, it crash-lands on Kaptara, an alien planet full of hideous monsters and dangerous locals. The Kanga’s crew is separated and some of them are gruesomely murdered, but one man – a bio-engineer named Keith – manages to escape with his life despite his penchant for sarcasm and cowardice. Although Keith initially resists the call to adventure, it isn’t long before he’s on a mission to stop a villain named Skullthor from overthrowing the Earth.

Kaptara is laugh-out-loud funny throughout, but Zdarsky also lets a few poignant moments peek through the silliness. Keith is a misfit who feels like he doesn’t fit in back home, and he doesn’t fit in with his crew, either. After he crash-lands, Keith meets a new band of weirdos and misfits who all seem far more comfortable in their skins than he could ever be, and I’m sure he’ll do a bit of learning and growing as he adventures on Kaptara.

The book has a bit of everything thrown into the mix, including several foul-mouthed characters who feel somehow anachronistic even though the setting is a futuristic alien planet (where they’ve probably had swearing for millennia). There’s even a little murder mystery to keep things interesting.

I loved Kagan McLeod’s character designs and art throughout. The world of Kaptara is full of vibrant colors and strange creatures that look like nothing I’ve ever seen. “Cat tanks” are the primary mode of transportation on Kaptara, and if you’re picturing elephant-sized hairless cats with smushed faces and convenient tank treads, you have the right idea.

I’ll probably read anything Chip Zdarsky writes at this point, but it’s nice to know that he delivers more often than not. I’m looking forward to reading more about the strange world of Kaptara, and definitely recommend picking up this first volume. ( )

I really wanted to like this graphic novel. I love sci-fi/fantasy, appreciated the queer POC main character, thought it was beautifully colored, and it had a really strong first chapter. However, I quickly lost interest and I'm not sure why. It felt less like sci-fi and more like a demented Wizard of Oz setting. The absurdity was over-the-top and a lot of the humor just didn't land for me. Oh well. ( )

This graphic novel was ridiculous - take Barbarella and mash it up with a perverted version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and there you have Kaptara. No one is doing this kind of insane shit and I applaud Zdarsky and McCleod for venturing into this kind of depraved sci-fi humour. ( )