Ender's Game Battle School
Issue: #1
Writer: Christopher Yost
Artist: Pasqual Ferry
32 pp. Marvel. $3.99
Reviewed by Paul Stotts
The novel "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card is easily one of my favorite science fiction novels of all time. It's really one of those incredible stories which sticks with you years after reading it. It's also something that I don't want to see messed up, so I greeted the first issue of Marvel's new five issue series "Ender's Game Battle School" with a mixture of anticipation and fear. After only a few pages, the fear subsided, demolished by an absolutely wonderful adaptation that oozes excellence out of every panel.
The first issue introduces us to six year old Ender Wiggin. After his monitor is removed, Ender is teased mercilessly by a bully at school, which finally results in a stunningly violent confrontation. To make matters worse, his older brother Peter piles more cruelty and humiliation on Ender at home. When Colonel Hyrum Graff visits Ender, Ender expects to reap the consequences for his fight at school. Instead, Colonel Graff offers Ender an invitation to join Battle School. If Ender chooses to accept the invitation, he won't be able to visit his family, and particularly his beloved sister Valentine, for years. Afraid, but willing to make the sacrifice, Ender finally accepts and starts on his journey to Battle School.
Christopher Yost provides a remarkable script for the issue. It's amazing what he's able to accomplish with the characters in such a limited amount of pages. The dialogue is beautifully written, keeping the issue free from large chunks of exposition which a lesser writer might use in adapting novel-length material. The confrontation between Ender and Peter particularly highlights Yost's ability to packed a variety of subtle emotions into a scene. This is top-notch award-winning work he turns in here.
Artist Pasqual Ferry and colorist Frank D'Armata are more than up to the challenge that Yost has thrown down with his tremendous script. Ferry and D'Armata have created an absolutely stunning look to the book. The artwork is absolutely incredible looking, clean yet highly stylistic with an unbelievable amount of emotional depth. I really can't imagine comic art getting much better than this. Ferry's composition is perfect, whether it's an action sequence or a character conveying an emotion, he never makes a misstep in the issue. I did something that I rarely do with comics, I went back and reread the issue just to enjoy the artwork again. It's that spectacular.
Not only did the first issue of "Ender's Game Battle School" meet my expectations, it flat-out blew them out of the airlock. This is incredible must-read stuff here.
Final Grade: 88 out of 100
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