posted 02-01-2002 01:41 AM               

Colleen Doran's A Distant Soil is nothing if not ambitious; Doran has been working on the story for over a decade, mixing science fiction, Arthurian legend, traditional fantasy and other elements into a far-reaching epic. The Gathering collects the early issues of the series and effectively introduces the setting and most of the characters.

Siblings Jason and Liana are prisoners of a scientific institute bent on exploiting their telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Jason orchestrates a break-out from the institute, but is soon separated from his younger sister; a gang tries to strip the seemingly-defenseless Liana of her belongings, only to be stopped by police sergeant Minetti. Liana's attackers quickly become her would-be protectors when a group of strangely-armed pursuers attempt to take her into custody; she makes short work of them with her powers, only to encounter yet more strange visitors. D'Mer and Rieken are emissaries from an alien resistance movement that wants to overthrow the Hierarchy of their society, Ovanan - the Hierarchy has deemed Jason and Liana to be a threat that must be eliminated, so the resistance is determined to protect them and enlist their help. To aid the cause, D'Mer and Rieken recruit a band of adventurers that includes Minetti, a gang member named Brent, a mysteriously-arrived-in-the-20th-Century Sir Galahad, an alien shapeshifter, and others. At the same time, a different cell of the resistance rescues Jason from the Hierarchy, and reveals that his father was actually an exile from their world. This alien heritage is the source of Jason and Liana's power, and the reason the resistance wants Jason to help them kill the avatar, the central power behind Ovanan.

As I said, it's pretty dense, and I've even left out a plot twist or two to give you a reason to read the book - but Doran makes it work here. A few minor members of the extensive cast of characters get lost in the shuffle, but Doran usually succeeds in distinguishing them both in terms of character and appearance. Her black and white artwork is very sharp, and may be a case where color can only distract from the crisp lines and strong design and layout. (I base this judgment on a comparison of the Distant Soil interiors with the color covers and other colored artwork Doran has done - while that work is quite good, her black and white work is somehow even more vivid.) The linework is very detailed, and the alien architecture and landscapes are handled very well. The various psychic linkages and astral explorations are also well-designed, with a great sense of composition that conveys the intense, dreamlike quality of these moments.