By Jarred A. Luján — Dr. Helen Sterling wakes up on a lifeless planet orbiting the star Canopus, which is 300 light years away from Earth. She has a ship that is missing parts, a childlike robot, and no memory of how or why she is there. This is the starting point for the excellent new sci-fi thriller Canopus #1, which is written and illustrated by Dave Chisholm and published by Scout Comics.

The thing I was most struck by with Canopus is how thoroughly gripping this story really is. From the moment the book takes off, there’s an irresistible curiosity that keeps you anxiously turning the pages to discover more. There’s 101 questions, and we as an audience have to tag along on this adventure to discover even a fraction of the answers. As the story unfolds, the answers we do get feel like they only add to the mystery of what’s happening on this planet. Every little clue or flashback, builds on the questions that we’re already asking, or at times they even create new ones altogether. The psychological thriller aspect of this book is about as good as readers could ask for, forcing the audience to take a close look at every aspect of every page in the hopes of deciphering a link.

The artwork in Canopus truly elevates the plot to a different level as well. Every page is solid, the work is consistent, all of that is true…it’s the story’s flashback pages, however, that stand out the most. In approaching comic book flashbacks, there’s a lot of straightforward ways for a creator to go about that. Color changes/younger characters with an ordinary panel set up is pretty straightforward, but Chisholm throws all of that out for a set of wild, jarring spreads. The way that the flashback pages in this comic are constructed lends to the greater theme of the story in that it’s both a little frightening while at the same time working hard to deepen the mystery.

Furthermore, the twisted feel of the pages also adds to how we as readers feel about memory in general. Someone recovering from amnesia isn’t going to remember everything in a sudden way, complete with a linear concept. Instead, it would be more like a puzzle with pieces slowly coming together. The complexity of the pages in Canopus lines up with the complexity of remembering. Truly, this adds an engrossing layer to the story, immersing one in the main character’s frame of mind and how jarring all of this is. It is really brilliant work, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Overall: Canopus is the definition of psychological thriller. It grabs you from the start and does not let go. Not only is this book going to keep you on edge from page to page, but you’ll likely find yourself immediately looking forward to the next issue. This one is going to be something special. 9.0/10

Canopus #1

Writer/Artist: Dave Chisholm
Publisher: Scout Comics
Price: $3.99
Solicit: Helen wakes up marooned on a lifeless alien planet 300 light years from Earth with no memories beyond a hazy sense of extinction-level urgency to return to Earth. Joined by Arther, her strange robot companion, she explores the planet to find materials necessary to repair her ship. However, circumstances are not as straightforward as they seem. Along the way, Helen's most painful memories return as monstrous manifestations hell-bent on her destruction. Canopus is Castaway meets Annihilation, with a healthy dose of "Phillip K. Dick" thrown in for good measure!

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Jarred A. Luján makes comics, studies existential philosophy, and listens to hip-hop too loudly. For bad jokes and dog pictures, you can follow him on Twitter.