BOOM! Studios debuted Man's Best recently. The sci-fi comic, from writer Pornsak Pichetshote and artist Jesse Lonergan, follows three animals on a starship full of human refugees and it's one of the most instantly gripping new comics I've read this year.
The trio is made up of a cat (Athos) and two dogs (Porthos and Lovey), all emotional support animals belonging to scientist Dr Winters, who is experimenting on her pets by using holographic tech to train them in combat. Although it's a little vague on the nature of the threat, a few key facts are teased out over the course of the first issue. We'll get into those after this spoiler warning and Lonergan's lovely cover.
Spoilers for Man's Best #1
The issue opens with our furry friends in battle. Right from the off it's clear that these are no ordinary pets: Porthos has mechanical legs; Lovey can fly and has a great big rocket strapped to his back, while Athos has a robot suit that both protects her and shoots lazers from the eyes.
Although it's quickly revealed that this is merely a simulation it gives a glimpse of the threat in question: the Klangers, mysterious robotic foes (who, for our British readers, are quite different to the Clangers!). We quickly learn that humanity is concerned with trying to find a new home world and that the ship is en-route to Epsilon-32. Unfortunately, the planet seems to have vanished without trace.
While they are pondering this, an entirely different planet appears out of nowhere, causing the ship to crash. By the end of the issue we're left unsure of what's left of the human crew, but Porthos, Athos and Lovey emerge unscathed in their battle gear, only to immediately run into what appears to be a real Klanger.
There are a lot of mysteries to unravel here. Who are these Klangers? What has happened to Epsilon-32 and what is this new planet that's just popped up? And did we really just witness the last remains of humanity wiped out off-panel?
Regardless of the eventual answers, this is an absolutely stellar first issue. Pichetshote's scripting quickly gets you up to speed on who the three animals are, lingering on Lovey's anger and Athos's lack of confidence, while also sketching in the relationship dynamics between the human characters. He has compared the book to Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, another story about three lost animals - the line-up of a bulldog, retriever and cat even matches - but it also shares similarities with Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner's Stray Dogs, which told its story from the pet's eye view, and Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's We3.
But the obvious reason for buying this book is Jesse Lonergan's art. It's a gorgeous blend of manga aesthetics and soft pastel colors that manages to be cartoony while also maintaining a high level of technical detail that fully sells this future environment. This is already a pretty dark tale and I foresee a certain amount of heartbreak before the story's end, but it's told with such a gentleness and warmth, both in the writing and the art, that it's instantly inviting.
Of course, making cute animals the focus of your story is a tried and tested way of getting a reader on-board. What can I say? I'm clearly an easy mark for this sort of thing. We're just one issue into Man's Best and I already love these little critters and want the best for them. You will too: go read Man's Best #1 now.
A few years back we interviewed Pornsack Pichetshote and artist Alexandre Tefenkgi about their brilliant crime comic, The Good Asian.
