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by Steve Miller

eV Volume 1 (2008, published by TokyoPop)
Writer: James Farr
Artwork: Alfa Robbi and Papillion Studios

When his daughter 17-year-old daughter Evie is mortally injured in a car accident, Dr. Wymond uses the only working sample of experimental nanotechnology to save her life. His desperate gesture, however, means that she must serve as Earth's ambassador to an intergalactic parliament that our world has been invited to take part in. Will a normal teenager be able to adjust to an environment stranger than any human has ever known? And will she be able to survive the dimension-spanning intrigue of alien politics?

Good science fiction comics have always been few and far between, and "eV" is the best one to come along since Paul Sizer's excellent "Little White Mouse." Although the two share several things in common-a teenaged girl protagonist surviving on her own even while the love her family has for her and their pain of her absence continues to serve as a backdrop and subplot, "manga"-style artwork, and a riveting storyline propelled forward by interesting characters-the two could not be more different in tone and execution.

"Little White Mouse" was mostly a small-scale story where the sci-fi setting was almost incidental and where we were treated to occasional flourishes of space opera action, while "eV" is a massive, star-spanning saga where the science fiction is front and center at all times. Both, however work because of well-paced scripts, brilliantly timed and unexpected story-twists and plot reversals. Each series also has at its heart a mystery that has to be solved if the main character is to survive... although I'm not sure that any of the "Little White Mouse" books ever ended with a cliffhanger as nailbiting as that on the last page of "eV."

As for "eV" (which is what this review is SUPPOSED to be about), the unfolding of the mysteries surrounding the multi-species parliament that Evie suddenly finds herself part of makes for engaging and intriguing reading. As the plot thickens, we're treated to exciting action that will, quite literally, leave you unable to put down the book until you've seen what the next page reveals, and the page after that and the one after that. This book truly is a rare treat and it's one that fans of sci-fi adventures would be well advised to seek out.

(I wish I could talk more about the plot in "eV", but it's one of those stories that will be spoiled if too much is revealed by the likes of me. It's a book