Colleen Doran's science fiction saga A DISTANT SOIL is one of comics' most intelligent and engaging longform serials. Ninth Art looks back to where the story began.
03 May 2002

Writer/Artist: Colleen Doran
Letterers: Bob Pinaha and Colleen Doran
Collecting A DISTANT SOIL: IMMIGRANT SONG, A DISTANT SOIL: KNIGHTS OF THE ANGEL and A DISTANT SOIL #1-13
Price: $ 19.95/£14.99
Publisher: Image Comics
ISBN: 1-887279-51-2

The longform serial is commonplace in comics these days. Vertigo has based its line around the concept for years, with everything from SANDMAN to 100 BULLETS following the same basic structure. Put simply: Tell one very big story by telling lots of small ones.

From a narrative and economic point of view it makes an awful lot of sense. You can build in as many places for new readers to hop on as possible, have the added dimension of trade paperback collections of previous stories, and the attraction of a story that will, one day, end. After years of the same basic material being recycled ad nauseum, the importance of that final idea cannot be overstated.

It's unfortunate then, that to some extent Vertigo has become synonymous with the longform serial. Not because it hasn't done good work with it, but because similar work by different companies tends to get ignored. Works like Colleen Doran's A DISTANT SOIL.

Opening on the run, this first volume introduces Jason and Liana. Brother and sister, they're being held against their will in a very unusual orphanage. In short order, they escape, discover their true nature and more importantly, discover the consequences of that knowledge. It seems neither is entirely human, and the society they belong to is hostile, hugely powerful and already here.

On the surface, this reads like any number of perfectly serviceable science fiction/fantasy comics. However, what truly makes A DISTANT SOIL stand out from the crowd is the way in which this story is approached. Doran's influences extend far beyond the normal comics field, particularly with regard to narrative structure, and that's especially noticeable in this first volume.

The method in which the characters are introduced is cinematic storytelling in the purest sense of the term, whilst the story's structure is more reminiscent of English literature than the standard comic structure. While each chapter can be read on it's own, they build together to create an unusually dense and intricate story. However, this story is laid out with such subtlety and intelligence that the reader never once feels swamped.

This is particularly noticeable with regard to the book's characters. With no less then ten major "speaking roles", the series has a genuinely epic scope and one which is exploited more and more as the book progresses. Doran not only handles this ensemble with ease and aplomb, but also does a great deal of work setting up future volumes. Characters such as Galahad and Dunstan clearly have much larger roles to play further down the line, but enough is included about them in THE GATHERING to ensure they remain well-rounded, clearly defined characters.

It's this almost architectural approach to the work that makes it stand out from its peers. There's a clearly defined story, which is being worked towards at all times, but the overall plot is never allowed to get in the way of the smaller scale ones. While we get insights into the alien society and exactly what the twins are in THE GATHERING, we also get the classic first act for stories of this type.

Much of the volume is taken up with gathering forces for the upcoming assault on the worldship of the Ovanan race, and it's this event that the characters all define themselves against. Some agree to come because it sounds interesting, others because they have personal experience of oppressive regimes, but all agree on their own terms, and with an unusual complexity of reasoning. Each of these characters is recognisably an individual and it's their choices that define the story as much as the constant Ovanan threat.

It's interesting to note that Doran has one of the most varied central casts in comics. At least four nationalities and two distinct age groups are represented, and almost all of the main characters have quirks which make them stand out and appear all the more believable.

For example, it would be all too easy to make Sergeant Minetti the stereotypical "grumpy but moral" local cop. Instead, he's portrayed as a man with a natural distrust for several of the main characters, borne not only from his job but also from concern for his son. Minetti's priorities are very different from many of the other characters, leading naturally to conflict and a refreshing ambiguity of purpose.

Thanks to the exchanges between Minetti and the others, the story is never allowed to get too fantastical and remains firmly grounded. Indeed, Minetti's point of view only emphasises further the tremendous danger the characters are letting themselves in for, and how little they actually realise. As a result, the second half of the book has a genuinely tense, at times almost bleak tone.

The whole story is helped immeasurably by Doran's clean, striking art style and skill for storytelling composition. As both writer and artist, Doran has a full control over every aspect of the series, and this shows even in the early issues collected in THE GATHERING. For example the first image we see is of Liana, a frightened young girl sitting on a hard, utilitarian looking bed. She's got her knees up to her chest and looks on the verge of tears. Here, in one image, Doran effortlessly portrays not only all we need to initially know about Liana, but a great deal about her situation. The room she's in is sparse and clearly not her own, and there's nothing remotely relaxed about her posture. This, then, is a young girl who's terrified of something and being held, it seems, against her will.

This kind of very visual, informative storytelling is present throughout the series. While it sounds obvious, Doran is a very artistic writer, letting the posture and expressions of her characters pass on at least as much information as the dialogue. In this way, the tremendous amount of information the reader is required to absorb is presented in an accessible and remarkably economical way. Instead of being swamped, the reader finds himself being drawn into an unusually intricate and well-realised world.

THE GATHERING is a highly effective story in it's own right, while also setting the stage for the events to follow, without ever letting them diminish its own plot. Intricate without ever being overwhelming, it's intelligent, mature storytelling with it's own unique voice. The longform serial has never looked this good.

This article is Ideological Freeware. The author grants permission for its reproduction and redistribution by private individuals on condition that the author and source of the article are clearly shown, no charge is made, and the whole article is reproduced intact, including this notice.




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