A Review of Journey to Elysium (Issue #1)

A Prologue Brimming with Steampunk Mystery and Intrigue

A little while ago, I had the privilege of reviewing Bound for the Styx, my first foray into the Association of Ishtar. Although I had a couple of gripes with how the story was executed, I still found it to be a highly engrossing and unique take on steampunk, with a world and characters that were both quirky and relatable.

On a similar note, I was recently given an early review copy for Journey to Elysium, the first comic issue within this setting. It seems rather hard to believe that I haven’t reviewed any graphic novels until now, but I guess it’s better to be late than never. This is issue #1 in a series that will likely span many, many more.

As one might guess, the amount of room for a comic to tell a story is rather limited. 32 pages is the standard, in fact, and Journey to Elysium is no exception to that rule. It is important to note that this is not a complete tale. As such, I will be reviewing this comic as a prologue to a much larger narrative. Where it goes from here I can only guess, though I will likely speculate as I share my thoughts on this first chapter…

So what is going on in issue #1? Well, without diving much into detail, one of our main characters, otherwise referred to as the 7th Chairman, is looking to find the proper means of reaching Elysium - a strange object which floats high in the orbit of Earth’s atmosphere. Funding is vital as she convenes with Ghulam Ali, a man with a passion for reaching the same goal.

For fear of spoilers I’ll stop there, as the story is really on the smaller side. We’re given a couple of different perspectives as we’re introduced to the idea of Elysium, not to mention how the Association values it in turn. The 7th Chairman is one of these viewpoint characters, with a soldier named Maurice being the second. As a prologue, the issue sets up a number of compelling mysteries along with some interesting character dynamics. There’s a myriad of questions left unanswered with our main protagonists, and it leaves me curious to know more about what their goals truly are.

I should mention that if you’ve read Bound for the Styx, several names will sound familiar here. Hades and Elysium are both discussed frequently, although as a prequel to the novel, a lot of answers linked to these areas remain unknown. Following this new cast of characters (at least so far), I can safely proclaim that this is newly uncharted territory within the Association of Ishtar. The attitudes of Maurice, Ali, and the 7th Chairman all reflect this mentality, albeit in different ways.

As for the quality of art in this issue, I think it was quite strong in drawing me into all of the personal drama (pun intended). With striking colors, vibrant scenery, and some simple but effective paneling, Journey to Elysium is an easy comic to lose yourself in for the better part of an hour. I will say that the occasional shocked expression, particularly by Ali, struck me as a little odd at times. But now I’m just getting into nitpicks.

I thought that the dialogue was rather quick and punchy, with some subtle yet effective use of character voice to keep everyone sounding distinct. I hardly saw any typos or editorial errors until the last few pages, and all of this was contained in a small block of exposition framed as a newspaper article. Though the information is delivered fairly well in this instance, I hold firm to the belief that another pass over would have improved it. It is worth repeating that this accounts for only two pages in the issue, but it stood out to me regardless.

On that note, would I recommend this first issue of Journey to Elysium? Well, if you’re fine with sticking to an ongoing narrative, then I would say, “Yes, absolutely.” It’s got a few rough edges here and there, but I’m highly intrigued to see where this journey will go next. Bonsart Bokel has done a pretty stellar job of getting this reviewer intrigued, with some strong art and compelling characters to boot. Now I’m just waiting for issue #2…

If you would like to learn more about Bonsart Bokel and Radio Retrofuture, you can check out his YouTube channel here. He also has his own website and Twitter account, where he promotes his latest projects as well as those from other creators.