Para

I enjoy reading stories by writers who were once editors prior to their present career shift of being on the other side of the published pen. Although there is no hard & fast, accurate science to this other than the sales and public opinion, I find it interesting to see if the creative genius they used in guiding other creators to be their creative best applies with similar success on their own, personal work.

I’ve read books that Stuart Moore has edited for DC Comics in the past. This is my first time reading any of his personal work and “I’m lovin’ it”. The folks at Penny-Farthing Press have quite a formidable line up of new titles that seek to push the storytelling envelope. Stuart Moore’s Para is a sci-fi thriller guaranteed to keep you raving for more.

Most of the storyline of ''Para" takes place within the confines of an abandoned structure which houses an aged SuperCollider, the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The daughter of the former lead scientist of the project, Sara Erie, has been having nightmarish dreams which provide cryptic clues explaining the death of her father which occurred many years ago while attending to the project. She embarks on a quest to find the true story behind the mysterious circumstances surrounding her father's death.

"Para" combines the alien, eeriness of The Outer Limits along with the spooky otherworldliness of The Final Destination and shakes it up with taut relational conflicts and dark, conspiratorial theories to create a combustive concoction of dynamic sci-fi storytelling. Moore is in his element as he culls from personal experiences with the scientific world to create a heightened, suspense-filled story that moves along at a pace fast enough to keep interest and intriguing enough to keep us in a state of wonderment.

The artwork is clean and open. There are panels that could’ve been a cinematic nightmare given the madness-inspired worlds that Moore creates, but the artists’ creative ingenuity keeps the story beautifully drawn and simply understood. Para is a definite “must read”.