Epic Sci-Fi, Epic Art: Reviewing Liam Sharp’s ‘Ore: A StarHenge Graphic Novella’

Spinning directly out of Liam Sharp’s Eisner- Award-nominated miniseries, StarHenge: Book One The Dragon & The Boar, Ore: A StarHenge Graphic Novella is a story submerged in the genre of science-fiction with the darker fantasy elements of the Arthurian legend all but jettisoned from this lush, dense, prosaic second volume. A spin on the Arthurian legend that fuses sci-fi with swords and sorcery with art that would not be out of place in a high-end museum. 

This new chapter in Sharps’ Sci-fi/fantasy saga expands its scope even further than the original miniseries to reveal a cosmic battle of epic proportions that spans the entire universe as the resurrected Ur-Queen battles the horrifying A.I. of the C.A.S.T. for galactic supremacy. It’s also a very prescient work given the current fears we have over the development of A.I. with Sharp taking this its extreme conclusion with the alien race, known as P’ah Fl-Ur race, having created the very thing that will overthrow them. Like Jor-El on Krypton, there is mention of a lone voice warning of the impending dangers, only to be ignored. Much to their peril. And all of this happens on just the first two pages of this graphic novella! A taste of the density of the language utilised in the telling of this story that makes the whole 60-page volume feel much larger. 

And so an AI-led revolution explodes across the galaxy with an approach to the layout – large, illustrative panels, splash pages and double-page spreads, epically conveying the majesty and mayhem of this vast war across the stars. This is not just world-building, but empire-building on a huge scale. A story this grand needs the art to match, and Sharp delivers. On both fronts. Of course, for the more eagle-eyed, you will be able to detect certain artistic inspirations, but as such an accomplished artist Sharp easily fuses these elects into his work never losing his style in the mix.

The title of this graphic novella takes its name from the newly resurrected Ur-Queen’s new identity, indicating this story is very much hers as she is destroyed, resurrected and saves life across the galaxies. With such a large story to cover, the subsequent narrative can often covers a large amount of ground  as the battle expands over time and space, but Sharp’s use of a prose style of story telling as well as large, expressive art easily conveys the grandeur and  scale of this cosmic conflict.

As a reader, I was immediately reminded of the sci-fi art of classic Heavy Metal and sci-fi novels of the ‘70s and ‘80s. A nostalgic and highly influential style that Sharp updates though various methods and designs to reflect the aesthetics of our contemporary world with his inimitable twist. The use of digital painting, as well as the chunky prose passages elevates this graphic novella beyond just another comic. The blood, sweat and love Sharp pours into this venture is evident on every page. It’s a beautiful, layered, detailed space epic that can be, at times, a somewhat intimidating read for those not too averse to the complexities of sci-fi tropes and jargon. But, once past this, it’s a satisfying read that you will return to time and time again even if it’s just to sit back and admire the art and the creative approach to many of the pages. A tour de force of what an illustrative novel (hence the reference to this being a graphic novella) can be. 

Ore: A StarHenge Graphic Novella is out now from Image Comics.