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BSG vs BSG graphic novel

By Philip Schweier
January 2, 2019 - 08:37

Like the image above says, I can’t say I’m thrilled about this. The original Battlestar Galactica premiered when I was 13, and I was a huge fan. And I didn’t mind terribly when it was revived years later and significantly altered to suit the tastes of a modern audience. Better that than pander to a decades-old audience now grown. And bringing the two versions together was inevitable. Ever since “The Flash of Two Worlds,” the gimmick is a proven crowd pleaser.

Writer Peter David manages to craft a compelling story placing the two side-by-side. He knows the backstory of Galactica, raising obscure story elements that contribute to a sense of legitimacy to the meeting of two versions of the same property. Each is given equal due, with neither version overshadowing the other. So fans of either version should be equally satisfied.

Where the story stumbles is with Desjardins’ art. He seems unable to capture the likenesses of the actors, so instead one must rely on hair color, uniforms and other details to discern one poorly rendered character from another. I wouldn’t mind this so much, as the individual characters lack a consistency of design. More than once I had to wonder at the identity of a character on a page. Is it supposed to be Commander Adama? Looks more like Col. Potter from MASH. And I have no clue who that’s supposed to be in the final panel of chapter 1.

Midway through the series, Edu Menna takes over the illustrating, and he doesn’t do any better. In one sequence, Sheba has a conversation with her father, whose likeness to Lorne Greene (the original Adama) is fairly accurate. Unfortunately, Sheba’s father was portrayed by Lloyd Bridges.

He also seems unfamiliar with the prop designs of both versions of the show – ships, helmets, weapons, etc.

Thankfully, the story makes up for the disappointing artwork. Peter David includes more than a few nods to various characters, including the fact that the original Apollo and Tom Zarek from the new version were portrayed by the same actor. There is also a subtle Airplane reference that was nothing short of refreshing.

Rating: 5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12