A Distant Soil
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''A Distant Soil'' is an epic
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...
comic book series published by American company
Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...
, combining science fiction and fantasy with
Arthurian King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a Legend, legendary king of Great Britain, Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest tradition ...
themes. It is written and illustrated by
Colleen Doran Colleen Doran is an American writer-artist and cartoonist. She illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, including the autobiographical graphic novel of Marvel Comics editor and writer Stan Lee entitled ''Amazing Fant ...
. "A forerunner of queer-friendly comics and space opera...," "''A Distant Soil'' was something that really had not been seen before – a New Age take on science fiction with gorgeous costumes, young siblings with an unknown destiny, a blinding mix of magic with technology…fantasy and alien ships combine under Doran’s ethereal watch." The story, which Doran created at the age of twelve, centers on a young girl who is born heir to an alien religious dynasty, and explores issues of politics, gender identity, and tolerance. ''A Distant Soil'' is among the first US graphic novels created solely by a female writer/artist, appearing in
fanzines A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
when the artist was still in high school. ''A Distant Soil'' is also notable for being among the earliest comics to feature openly gay characters, and for featuring a gay couple as romantic leads. The series gained a Gaylactic Spectrum Award nomination for Best Other Work in 2001. It was recommended as a graphic novel of interest to improve reading skills for "reluctant readers" in ''Library Media Connection '.'' The
Voice of Youth Advocates ''Voice of Youth Advocates'' (''VOYA'') is a bimonthly magazine that provides book reviews and information for librarians with a focus on young adult materials. History and profile ''VOYA'' was established in 1978. The founders are Dorothy Brode ...
profiled the book in their quarterly journal, stating that one of Doran's influences for ''A Distant Soil'' was the 1978
Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...
/
Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker. Early life ...
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
''. It is one of the earliest American comics to display the influence of
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
(Japanese storytelling techniques,) though Doran does not consider'' A Distant Soil'' to be OEL (original English language manga). The series was a top ten nominee in the 2004 ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' Fan Awards, with Doran nominated as Favorite Penciler, Favorite Inker, Favorite Cover Artist, and ''A Distant Soil'' nominated for Favorite Comic Book. Comics Book Resources wrote "...It’s amazing how Doran’s work now seems right in tune with stuff like ''
Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 6 ...
'' and the ''Divergent'' series, and yet when she was starting this series, there WEREN’T stories out there starring female characters. There weren’t epic space operas about teenage girls. She practically created the genre." The British Science Fiction Association's journal ''Vector'' listed ''A Distant Soil'' among six groundbreaking science fiction comics, singular for "...being a little ahead of its time." and for "...the sheer diversity on display. Not only are the alien races reflective of the various skin colours humans have, but even within one alien race characters have different skin colours – something surprisingly rare within sequential science fiction. The book also features gay relationships without it being a big old deal." In ''Comics: A Global History, 1968 to the Present'', Dan Mazur and Alexander Danner wrote of ''A Distant Soils "...kitchen sink approach to genre, combining elements of space opera, Arthurian legend, romantic drama, and complex political maneuvering....Doran admirably bucks the fantasy genre's tendency to make the heroic leader a seemingly indestructible warrior. ..Seren is a politically powerless but well-intentioned puppet of other actors...a volatile mix of melodramatic temper, moral righteousness, and lonely stunted child, simultaneously noble and deeply damaged."


Plot summary

On a world called Ovanan, an alien race of immortal and androgynous beings who possess psionic powers is ruled by a corrupt government unit called the Hierarchy. The Hierarchy uses their power to control the Avatar, a singular being who is able to amass all of the psionic power of the Ovanan people and wield that power as a weapon called The Collective. To cement their control over Ovanan and the Avatar, the Hierarchy also uses the Avatar to act as an angelic religious figure who stands in judgment of Ovanan children. The Avatar chooses who lives and dies, supposedly for religious purposes. In actuality, he selectively kills anyone who may mature into a threat to the Hierarchy's power base. Sometimes these undesirables are allowed to live as an Ovanan underclass, who are called Variants. An Ovanan man, Aeren, who was raised in the Avatar's household, was secretly allowed to live, despite having an undesirable and dangerous ability: he is a Disruptor, the opposite of the Avatar. While the Avatar gathers and magnifies psionic energy, a Disruptor disrupts energy. This ability can be used in many ways: to stop a heart, cause electrical disruptions in machinery, or to open any lock. Aeren was secretly involved with the Avatar Etan and his young heir Seren. However, after the suspicious death of the Etan, Aeren escaped to Earth, where he married a human woman and fathered five children, of which two survived: Liana and Jason, 15 and 17, who are born with powers they don't understand and can't control. Incarcerated in a mental hospital where they are the subjects of study, Jason becomes suspicious of the Institute's motives, and urges Liana to run away. During their escape, they become separated. Liana encounters a group of humans and an Ovanan man, and his companion, D'mer, also Rieken's lover, who hails from another planet called Kimar, which is under Hierarchy rule. Liana learns that she is an Avatar, and has the powers of the Ovanan godhead. However, her powers interfere with the ability of the Avatar, who currently sits on the Ovanan throne, to control the Collective, and if she is not eliminated, Ovanan is vulnerable as the Avatar is their greatest weapon. Rieken and D'mer go on a quest to find more humans who will help them save Liana, and to prevent Ovanan from exercising power over Earth. In addition to drawing in several humans, they discover a beautiful Ovanan exile named Bast, who was once one of the Avatar's acolytes. Also, they encounter magical beings from Arthurian myth. The implication is that myth and legend is a kind of Earth Collective, a manifestation of human will that has taken a different form than the psionic energy of Ovanan. Jason, meanwhile, is captured by the Hierarchy and tortured by the beautiful but evil Sere. Believing him to be dead, his captors dispose of his body, but he is actually in a drug-induced coma. He is rescued by the Resistance, which is working with Rieken to try to stage a coup and overthrow the Hierarchy. Unknown to Jason and his companions, Rieken is really Seren, the Avatar in disguise, who has quietly been working behind the scenes to try to overthrow the shackles of the oppressive Hierarchy. With Liana on one side, and Jason on another, the two groups rush to a confrontation.


Characters


Hunter Liana Scott

A fifteen-year-old girl who is born with the power of the Avatar. She has red hair and yellow eyes, and a very small frame. Having been incarcerated in a mental hospital most of her life, she has social skill problems, and is seemingly childlike and innocent, but clever. While her first name is Hunter, she is always referred to as Liana.


Jason Scott

Seventeen years old, Jason is born with the power of a disruptor. For most of his life, he did not realize he had this power, an ability which makes him a dangerous weapon. He has blond hair and blue eyes, and is of medium height. Jason is protective of his sister, and has anger management issues.


Rieken/Seren

Seren is the young Avatar of Ovanan. He has white hair, pale bluish eyes, and is androgynous. He is about seventy years old, which is young for an Ovanan. As a boy, he accidentally absorbed the personality of Rieken, the leader of the Ovanan Resistance. Rieken died, and now Seren uses the personality, and an enhancer to change his appearance, to fight with the Resistance as Rieken.


D'mer ad D'aniri

D'mer is an enslaved hostage of a minor royal family from the planet Kimar. He is a member of the Avatar's household. He has psionic abilities, pyrokinetics and the ability to fly. He has reddish hair, black eyes, is considered quite handsome, and has a sarcastic sense of humor. He and the Avatar are lovers.


Kovar

The Avatar's Shield, a psionic ward. Once the prince of House Teramis, the military race of Ovanan, Kovar gave up his throne out of religious devotion to the Avatar. He is extremely tall and strong, has pale skin, grey eyes, and black hair.


Bast

Once an acolyte of the House of the Avatar, Bast is a beautiful exile who possesses the power to change her shape. It is implied, but never stated, that she is the inspiration for the Egyptian cat goddess. She has black hair and green eyes.


Antonio Minetti

A human policeman who finds Liana in an alley, and falsely believes he has to rescue her from a gang. He agrees to aid Rieken in his fight against the Hierarchy.


Brent Donewitz

A teenaged boy, Hawaiian and Jewish, who is the first to encounter Liana after she escapes the Institute.


Niniri

The leader of the Hierarchy. Deceptively beautiful and calm, she is extremely manipulative.


Publication history

Work from ''A Distant Soil'' was originally published in several fanzines, and was scouted by
The Donning Company Walsworth Publishing Company is a family-owned publishing company based out of Marceline, Missouri. Walsworth produces catalogs and periodicals, and is the only American- and family-owned publisher of yearbooks. It was started in 1937 by brothe ...
's Starblaze Graphics editions before being contracted by
WaRP Graphics WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, is an alternative comics publisher best known for creating and being the original publisher of the '' Elfquest'' comic book series. It was created and incorporated in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company ...
. Doran left after nine issues due to an acrimonious dispute with WaRP, which was accused of attempting to claim
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and
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on her work. The WaRP version of the story has never been reprinted, despite its unusual all-pencil style, although in one collected volume of the new series Doran reprinted the short ''Distant Soil'' story "R & R" that appeared in a WaRP
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
. After leaving WaRP, Doran discarded all 300 pages of work and redid the series from scratch, initially for Starblaze Graphics, the company which first approached Doran for publication rights when she was in high school. Colleen Doran and twelve other creators, including science fiction artist David Cherry and New Age author Mary Summer Rain, sued Donning for copyright violation and fraud. She chronicled the battle in ''Very Bad Publishers'', blog posts which earned praise from an array of comics industry notables such as
Tom Spurgeon Thomas Martin Spurgeon (December 16, 1968 – November 13, 2019) was an American writer, historian, critic, and editor in the field of comics, notable for his five-year run as editor of ''The Comics Journal'' and his blog ''The Comics Reporter''. ...
at
The Comics Reporter Thomas Martin Spurgeon (December 16, 1968 – November 13, 2019) was an American writer, historian, critic, and editor in the field of comics, notable for his five-year run as editor of ''The Comics Journal'' and his blog ''The Comics Reporter''. ...
and
Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...
. Doran wrote that, once again, she retained all rights to her series, and received a non-disclosed settlement. Doran's experiences established her as a prominent artist spokesperson, eventually landing her in Washington, DC, working as a lobbyist for creator rights. When parent corporation
The Donning Company Walsworth Publishing Company is a family-owned publishing company based out of Marceline, Missouri. Walsworth produces catalogs and periodicals, and is the only American- and family-owned publisher of yearbooks. It was started in 1937 by brothe ...
folded Starblaze Graphics, Doran
self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pri ...
under the Aria Press imprint, reprinting earlier work and creating new work. The ending of the
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necessitated some minor revision to political references in early chapters. She fleshed out earlier scenes and added new ones, as well as a backstory series ''Seasons of Spring'', the story of ''A Distant Soil's'' protagonists as children. Doran was a core member of the fledgling self-publishing movement with ''
Cerebus ''Cerebus'' (; also ''Cerebus the Aardvark'') is a comic book series created by Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim, which ran from December 1977 until March 2004. The title character of the 300-issue series is an anthropomorphic aardvark who takes on ...
'' creator
Dave Sim Dave Sim (born 17 May 1956) is a Canadian cartoonist and publisher, best known for his comic book ''Cerebus'', his artistic experimentation, his advocacy of self-publishing and creators' rights, and his controversial political and philosophical b ...
, ''
Bone A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...
'' creator Jeff Smith, and ''
Strangers in Paradise ''Strangers in Paradise'' is a creator-owned comic book series, written and drawn by Terry Moore, which debuted in 1993. Principally the story of a love triangle between two women and one man, ''Strangers in Paradise'' began as a slice-of-life ...
'' creator Terry Moore. They toured the US and Canada under the Spirits of Independence banner, pushing for greater recognition and rights for self publishers. In 1996, Doran continued the series at
Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...
, where it is now in multiple printings as a series of
trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...
. It is 42 out of 50 issues into its final storyline, as a 1000-page single, long-form story narrative. It has sold, collectively, more than 700,000 copies. ''A Distant Soil'' spawned trading cards, fanzines, pinup books, limited editions, prints and posters, a fan club, and its creator has appeared in numerous documentaries and interviews. It was also optioned for film and television, with interest from
Energy Entertainment In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat ...
and David Uslan. The series was on hiatus from 2006 to 2013, after its printer lost the archives of the photographic negatives of the graphic novels. The series returned in 2013 from Image Comics, with the first digitally restored edition premiering in July 2013.
Jim Valentino Jim Valentino (born October 28, 1952) is an American writer, penciler, editor and publisher of comic books, best known for his 1990–1992 work on ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' for Marvel Comics, and for co-founding Image Comics, a company publis ...
's
Shadowline Shadowline, Inc., is an imprint of Image Comics established by Image co-founder Jim Valentino. The name is an homage to Valentino's character, ShadowHawk. History Shadowline was officially created in December 1992 when the logo first appeared o ...
imprint took on the restored editions and redesign tasks. Graphic artist Allan Harvey completed the majority of the restoration work.New Beginnings And A Long-Promised End for A DISTANT SOIL , Newsarama.com
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Collected editions

The series has been collected into a number of
trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...
: At
The Donning Company Walsworth Publishing Company is a family-owned publishing company based out of Marceline, Missouri. Walsworth produces catalogs and periodicals, and is the only American- and family-owned publisher of yearbooks. It was started in 1937 by brothe ...
the volumes were: *''Volume 1: Immigrant Song'' (collects ''A Distant Soil'' #1–4, 68 pages, The Donning Company, April 1989, ) *''Volume 2: Knights of the Angel'' (collects ''A Distant Soil'' #5–9, 120 pages, The Donning Company, April 1989, ) The Image Comics collections are: *''Volume 1: The Gathering'' (collects ''A Distant Soil'' #1–13, 240 pages, Image Comics, June 1999, ) *''Volume 2: The Ascendant'' (collects ''A Distant Soil'' #13–25, 240 pages, Image Comics, November 1998, ) *''Volume 3: The Aria'' (collects ''A Distant Soil'' #26–31, 164 pages, Image Comics, July 2001, ) *''Volume 4: The Coda'' (collects ''A Distant Soil'' #32–38, 184 pages, Image Comics, softcover, March 2006, , hardcover, November 2005, ) Digitally Restored editions: *''A Distant Soil: The Gathering TPB Volume I'' Image Comics/Shadowline (2013) digitally remastered compilation of issues 1–13 with new story content *''A Distant Soil: The Ascendant TPB Volume II'' Image Comics/Shadowline (2014) digitally remastered compilation of issues 14–25 with new story content


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Distant Soil, A Fantasy comics WaRP Graphics titles