Rocketo: The Journey to the Hidden Sea by Frank Espinosa

Rocketo Volume 1: Journey to the Hidden Sea and Rocketo Volume 2: Journey to the Hidden Sea by Frank Espinosa Image Comics ISBN 1582405859 and 1582407355

Here's a book I found by chance...Rocketo by Frank Espinosa. Ok, actually, two books. Ok, one story, two volumns. Back off!

Anyway, I was checking out the graphic novels at the local library. I honestly can't remember what I was actually looking for but, while I was in the neighborhood, I checked out the books on the New Release shelf. That's where I found Rocketo. I had never heard of it. I wasn't familiar with the author. I didn't have any clue as to what I should expect.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The artwork immediately caught my eye. The colors and inks are bold. While it's heavily stylized, it's incredibly engaging. Every brush stroke drives the story. And every brush stroke is driven by the story. Nothing is wasted. Rocketo represents the perfect example of Scott McCloud's theory stylization can be healthier for the story than realism.

As I read, I found the story just as engaging as the artwork. This is no superhero comic though there's certainly no shortage of action. In fact, it's packed with action. But there's also intrigue, deception, friendships, and magic (not Harry Potter kind of magic but the kind of magic that comes from engulfing oneself in the unknown). The story takes place on earth, far into the future. Life on earth is nothing like it is now. Land masses are different. New lifeforms exist. Dogmen. Birdmen. Living storms. All of this has led to a new age of exploration. It's the story of one such explorer...one that's lost, so to speak. And it's the story of how this lost explorer finds his way back.

As you can probably guess, I would highly recommend the books. For those of you with families, there is quite a bit of violence but both the language and the artwork are clean.