Obscure Comic of the Month was a column I wrote from 2015 to 2017, where I would take a look at a comic or series that wasn't really talked about. This covered independent comics, zines, weird spin-offs, webcomics and more. It's been away, but now it's back.
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Habitat by Simon Roy - 2017 Image Comics
Contains Heavy Spoilers
There are certain comics that you are almost guaranteed to be immediately on board with simply down to the strength of the artwork. For me, Simon Roy's Habitat was certainly one of these instances. Just seeing the intriguing and beautiful artwork concerning very vivid but understandably functional mech suits exploring a strange and overwhelming superstructure was all I needed to know I was going to have to read this comic.
Indeed, such is the strength of the art that it almost seems unnecessary to talk about the story, which takes place within a deep space artificial environment where tribal societies live within the detritus of a far more ancient, technologically advanced civilisation. Roy takes to rendering this world like a duck to water, taking great care to meld both the alien with the familiar, the primitive with the advanced.
With a deft use of subtle design choices Roy distinguishes the various tribes in order for us to all the better understand their relationship with the long forgotten technology, some of whom the interaction is with more religious reverence than others. The mech suits themselves are immediately iconic. While drawing inspiration from the many works of science fiction that have featured power armour and robotic suits, Roy gives them a bulbous, cumbersome look, their functionality and mechanical capabilities obvious. Part Bioshock diving suit, part Aliens power lifter.
All this is to say that Habitat is a beautiful world in which to get lost, and in many respects the art feels like it has more in common with concept art than that of more traditional comic illustration. Regardless, there are several pages you'll want to hold on to just take in what it is that you're looking at, and almost see a far away world coming to life in front of your eyes.
With all that in mind, what of the story proper? Habitat tells the tale of a young cadet going rogue from his tribe with valuable data that can be used to 'print' advanced technology. As his journey unfolds, he comes into contact with the various other factions and characters of the superstructure, few of which have any priorities other than immediate self interest, and we get the impression that this is a world where uncompromised heroes are hard to come by.
You see, it is quickly revealed that the tribes are the descendants of some long ago exiled community, cut off from what seems like a long forgotten space utopia. The protagonist's journey is hardly ground-breaking and instead servers as a conduit for the readers to experience this cut-throat world though somewhat sympathetic eyes. Eventually, enough characters with altruistic motivation unite to regain contact with the wider universe and activate the superstructure's more advanced technology, something that the ending implies may come with a far reaching and unintended consequences.
If I have any real criticism of Habitat it's about the length. There is so much about this world that the story leaves you wanting to find out about, and while the tribal societies are explored succinctly, the wider galaxy beyond is left enigmatically unexplored. The significance of the awakening star-god like creature at the stories climax being mostly left up to the reader's interpretation.
Indeed, the climax itself is maddeningly brief, to the point where I wonder if Roy had to cut it short for space, or some other undisclosed, practical reasons. Either way, it really left me wanted more, and to see what the wider consequences of the characters decisions would ultimately come out as.
As I always say, though, if it leaves you wanting more, that's a recommendation, and I really hope we see more of the world of Habitat some time in the future. A world this rich both visually and textually deserves to be explored beyond a single book.
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Jack Harvey 2021. Habitat (c) Simon Roy. Images used under Fair Use.
