Writer: Mike Mignola
Art: Greg Hinkle and Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 2nd, 2022
Mike Mignola’s new Radio Spaceman book introduces yet another bizarre edgy character in his pantheon of fringe creations. If you’re looking for a weird and trippy book, look no further than Radio Spaceman #1.
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon.
The Story
There are so many odd scenes in Radio Spaceman #1, it feels like reading a graphic novel of someone’s fever dream. As with other Mignola creations, the book is a mix of body horror, steampunk, and the surreal.
An old man (whose name is never given) is the protagonist of the book, sitting in a massive room of his mansion and radio-controlling operatives in space via a tube connected to his chest.
It all involves lots of rubber and glass tubes, frequency wavelengths, and a massive soldier with a domed skull head that he controls in the field. Curiously, the automaton reminded me of the “Spooky Space Kook” monster from the original Scooby-Doo cartoon, except this thing is Terminator-like, plowing through enemies with guns and hammers, so a few meddling kids would probably be no match for it?
The dialogue in the book is very sparse, so most of the action has to be interpreted from the art, which doesn’t hold up. There were a few places where not only did I not understand what was going on, I also couldn’t differentiate characters from the surrounding rocky terrain. I feel more dialogue or a more detailed artist would have improved the book significantly. There are interesting creatures and a creepy cult, which is just enough for me to want to pick up the next issue (this is only a 2-part limited series). So it definitely piqued my interest, it reminded me of some good stories I read in Heavy Metal magazine over the years, but it just seemed rushed and a bit sloppy.
The Art
As noted above, Greg Hinkle’s art on Radio Spaceman #1 wasn’t great in detail. He tended to draw the spacecraft and steampunk-inspired devices much better than the characters and backgrounds.
Some of his character designs look fascinating, especially a character that appears at the end of the issue, but for the most part, I feel a better artist would have greatly improved the flow of the book.
Final Thoughts
Radio Spaceman #1 is filled with interesting concepts and bizarre locations, but the flow of the story is disrupted by the lack of dialogue. It’s just fascinating enough for me to come back and read the next issue.