Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Game's a Foot: Ender's Game: Battle School #1


It's not easy being a kid. Under normal circumstances, kids have to cope with pressure from school, society, and even their own family. Worst of all, they have to deal with the cruelty of other kids. Imagine how much worse it would be for any kid with the added complication of being the artificially-bred last hope for the human race! And you thought it was tough handling that lumbering mouth-breather who wanted to take your milk money!

Continuing the recent trend of big-time literary adaptations, Marvel gives you the chance to experience all the fun of childhood trauma and isolation in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game: Battle School #1. This book, by writer Christopher Yost and artist Pasqual Ferry, is the first link in a chain of limited series that will ultimately adapt the entirety of Card's much-loved novel. This first issue certainly gets things off to a promisng start.

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is the third child of the Wiggin clan to be eyed for a position in Battle School. His brother, Peter, was promising, but proved to be a little too unstable. His sister, Valentine, was far too kind and sensitive to be of use. Ender, however, seems like he may be just right. His first test is surviving without the monitor that has tracked him all his life. With the monitor gone, Ender is at the mercy of both cruel bullies and his own siblings. How he survives on his own, if he survives on his own, will be his final test. Does Ender have what it takes to save humanity from the terrifying alien Formics?

Christopher Yost's adaptation of Card's book is excellent. Readers are quickly pulled into the story, and Ender's travails are relatable to almost anyone. Pasqual Ferry also does an excellent job portraying both the human drama and the futuristic look of Ender's world. Creating a credible sci-fi universe in a comic is not an easy task, but these creators have pulled it off in a way that makes it seem like an alien cake-walk. (Mmmm, alien cake...)

If Ender can fight to save the human race from the Formics, the least you can do is read this book! Don't let the bullies scare you away from doing the right thing! Stop by Four Color Fantasies this week and try out the guaranteed Book of the Week: Ender's Game: Battle School #1. Besides, when Ender gets angry, he does have a tendency to start kicking people in the groin, repeatedly. Don't make Ender angry.

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