OK, I know he’s hugely popular among Farscape fans, but I must admit, my love of D’Argo comes almost entirely from the actor who played him, and the friendship bond he and Crichton shared. When the show began, he just struck me as another Worf clone, and only over time did he become more interesting (actually, that was the same with Worf). When he was the first character to get his own spin-off comic series, I was a bit disappointed. But, I do love me some Farscape, so I picked ‘em up. And after running into writer Keith R.A. DeCandido at a comic convention last year, who turned out to be a super nice guy and super excited about the comic, I felt a bit guilty for not having read it. Finally, with my recent increase in comic reading, I picked this one off the shelf and gave it a go.
I’m glad I did. I hadn’t realized that DeCandido was also the author of the only Farscape novel worth a frell, House of Cards. He knows the characters, and he can write for them quite well, each in his or her own voice. This was something I always paid attention to when reading the occasional Star Trek novel. Can the writer tell a good story and put words in the mouths of characters that seem like they belong there? Some can, some can’t. And DeCandido can.
The basic plot isn’t anything special. Basically, it’s D’argo as the Continental Op, Yojimbo, or the Man With No Name, walking into a bad situation with two rival gangs trying to control a little backwater world. But, there’s plenty of good stuff for fans. We see more details of D’argo’s history, meeting a key person from his time as a soldier. And there are some fun aliens running about. The art is serviceable, if not especially impressive. But that seems to be the case with a lot from Boom! Studios. And there is a nice little short story at the end of the volume as a capper.
You don’t need to read the regular Farscape comic series to pick this up. It’s a stand alone adventure, set in the third season of the show.
Farscape: D’Argo’s Lament
Author: Keith R.A. DeCandido
Artist: Neil Edwards
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Pages: 112
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