The Ravens Nest

The Full Review of Overmind by Jon DelArroz

Pictured: Graphic Novel Overmind by Jon DelArroz, Trading Card & Bookmark.

Author’s Note: Same thing, full disclosure, I bought this one and it came with everything you see in the photo. I immediately ran a couple blocks away from my place to buy a hardshell case for the card and it’s sat propped on my desk hutch ever since. Also, I did use the bookmark to mark my place as I had to stop a couple of times reading it and one more thing that the graphic novel came with that I wasn’t expecting…

uh huh…autographed, baby. Okay, let’s dive in.

Overmind is a graphic novel by Jon DelArroz and is the first book of The Terran Imperium Chronicles. The story’s central character, Ayla Rin, is introduced as a bad-ass, blaster-slinging special agent for The Terran Imperium. She’s not only skilled in fighting but investigation as well as piloting her own craft to get from planetary colony to planetary colony.

The synopsis is fairly simple, as is the story. There’s nothing to overcomplicate it. Word has gotten back to The Terran Imperium that something is happening on one of their colonies. A cult has sprung up and the influence is reaching far and wide. Rin is sent to investigate this cult and find out whether or not there’s a threat. When she arrives, she finds that yes, something’s off about this Imperium Colony and she has to determine whether or not to simply report it, or put a stop to it, herself.

Seems many people are spending a lot of time in some virtual space and she decides to check it out for herself where she finds that there is an actual threat, an AI gone self-aware and rogue called Overmind and it has exerted it’s influence over the citizens of the colony. Without spoilers here, I’ve barely scratched the surface of the story itself. Naturally, Overmind, as a character is a credible threat, not just to Ayla Rin but the entire Imperium. If it’s influence spreads any further, the entire colony will be lost and Rin, faced with that immediacy has to make difficult command decisions and endure many trials trying to both outsmart and physically destroy Overmind before it moves out even further to make it’s influence known. While Ayla Rin is a certifiable badass character, she has moments of vulnerability which lets you know, she’s not exactly some overpowered being. She’s relatable in many ways, such as when she confronts her handler to point out that the reason she’s being sent is because it’s a cost-saving measure to the Imperium and her handler replies, “And we thank you for your service” in one of the most sleazy deliveries of that line ever produced.

The artwork in the book is just what you see. It’s reminiscent of the 1950s and 60s old-school, Buck Rogers Sci-Fi with a dash or Flash Gordon in terms of aesthetics. Rather than take away from the story as a throwback, it adds to the story by giving it some flavor. This is a sleek and somewhat hopeful, if not a bit cynical future.

Between the story and art, this was a fun-as-hell book to read. Honestly, whenever my phone rang or there was a knock at my door, I got a bit annoyed because I really wanted to finish this one in one sitting. Is unputdownable a word? If not, it should be because I didn’t want to.

It also came recommended by Jon to me via Twitter. I grabbed a copy that night without really looking at it. I wanted to go in blind. If you do order a copy, your copy will also be autographed as well.

I’ve also been recommending it to friends who want to read comics but don’t know where to start. This isn’t your standard-fare 49-page romp where you wait for the next installment for a month. This is a full story with some great, and at times, trippy, artwork that will make you feel like that kid in 1955 pointing out the DeLorean Time Machine is some type of alien craft. It’s semi-retro nature with modern tech sensibilities really keeps the story lively and you even get a couple of Damsel-In-Distress moments with Ayla Rin which led me to mutter “I already said yes to this one, Jon, you don’t have to keep selling me on it.” …but I’m glad he did. It adds to Ayla Rin’s punch.

Let’s talk about the quality here. The cover itself is paperback which is cool and the inner pages aren’t the glossy, thicker type that you’re used to with most modern comics. This print run takes on a matte paper that’s a touch thinner and gives the artwork a pulp-type feel. While that might seem disappointing to some, it wasn’t to me. Combine that with the artwork, the simple and straight-forward story and it’s no fuss, no muss, no overthinking Overmind. To me, the paper used for the pages added a sense of nostalgia to the overall feel of the book itself and I found myself glad I just rolled with it. The bookmark is a simple, card paper stock bookmark with the same fantastic artwork and the trading card quality is glossy and exactly what you’d expect from a collectible trading card.

The only complaint that I had was that the bag was a little oversized but if that’s my only true complaint then it’s not exactly taking a star off the rating here.

Out of five stars, I’m going to give it five because it’s a fun read with no agendas and, if you like the old-school sci-fi, you’re gonna love this one. You’re not gonna get explanations on what powers Ayla Rin’s ship, how her blaster works or why it’s not all over the place while it’s holstered, all that stuff just is and it’s right there. You don’t need much more than that to have fun.

The second book in the Ayla Rin saga, Book Two of The Terran Imperium Chronicles will be on it’s way this year so keep an eye peeled for that and you can get your copy in print and digital in those links. You can also check out Jon’s other works on DelArroz.com and I recommend you do as I will as well. Also, check out his YouTube Channel and his news site Fandom Pulse Dot Com for the latest updates on comics and comics news.