Humanity will not be able to stay on Earth forever. Predictions of a climate catastrophe, the depletion of raw materials or other tragic events that may lead to the destruction of our home planet cause anxiety. They push us to think about various alternatives. The Ark is another story about explorers trying to find a new home for the endangered Homo sapiens on Earth .
Searching for the New World
In short, The Ark is a story about people who decided to abandon Earth to find a new, safe home for humanity. The pioneers intend to reach a planet called Lion’s Claw – the perfect habitat for a new start. The crew of the titular Ark was to spend two hundred years on it, hibernating in special capsules to reach their destination without complications. In the meantime, the Gardeners took care of the resources on the ship. These simple creatures were intended only to tend the ship’s garden while the travelers were asleep.
When the first pioneers wake up, they quickly come to the conclusion that the flight on the Ark lasted much longer than two hundred years. To their surprise, they did not make it to Lionclaw. The ship has landed in a strange tunnel that seems to go on forever. Moreover, all the laws of physics known to travelers do not apply in their new, dark place. Will they ever be able to escape this maze?
At first glance, the plot of Ark is similar to other stories about people searching for a new place to settle. Earth’s emigrants leave their homeland, but before they reach its perfect replacement, things go wrong. This is indeed the case – there will be no surprises for any reader familiar with this theme. Author Romain Benassaya and illustrator Joann Urgell added a few new threads to this cliché .
Science fiction fans will certainly enjoy the mystery of the tunnel in which the comic book characters are trapped. The laws of physics do not apply there, and various hostile creatures hide in the darkness. Another interesting aspect of the plot are two clearly marked moral dilemmas.
[SPOILER] The first one asks the reader a question: is it better to settle down and build a safe haven in an unfriendly place, or to look for a dream world at all costs, using up more resources? The second issue that you can consider while reading is the existence of the Gardeners. When the Ark’s passengers left Earth, they were simple creatures. Their sole purpose was to keep the garden on the ship in good condition, so that after two hundred years you could still enjoy its benefits. Because the travelers had been dormant for much longer than two centuries, Gardeners managed to evolve. The crew members, as well as the reader, can wonder how to deal with them, as now they are fully conscious and independently functioning organisms. Is it worth making an alliance with them, or do they pose a threat?
Heroes as representatives of humanity
Usually, when reviewing a work, I try to devote a lot of time to its characters. After all, they are often behind the success of a given title. In the case of Ark, this is not an easy task. The main characters are ambiguous. They make morally “gray” decisions, which is a response to the dangerous and incomprehensible circumstances in which they find themselves. The problem is that it’s hard to focus on them as individuals. Each of the main characters represents an idea more than their own motives, which makes it difficult for me to judge them based on their personalities.
Sci-Fi aesthetics
The Ark is drawn aesthetically, in a style typical of Science-Fiction comics. The hardcover edition from Lost in Time looks neat, although its size makes it impossible to pack it into a backpack or bag, which makes things difficult for anyone who likes reading outdoors or on public transport. The font is the right size and the drawings are so detailed that we can easily see every emotion on the character’s face.
I’ve been here before
Unfortunately, the Ark comic is a repetition of the theme of searching for a new home for people, which I discussed earlier. The topics discussed by the author are certainly important, but it is a pity that they could not be addressed in a more refreshed and creative form. The contents of Ark will not be a surprise to science fiction fans .
