Rocketo, Volume 1: The Journey to the Hidden Sea »

The adventures of Rocketo Garrison take place in a mythical future 2,000 years after the world has been destroyed. This compilation of the first six issues of The Journey to the Hidden Sea tells the story of Rocketo's idyllic childhood and his early training as an explorer and Mapper. After returning from the deadly Solarium War a broken man, Rocketo Garrison is swept away on a journey to the Hidden Sea, a fabled, dangerous land that may hold the key to undreamed of treasure as well as the truth about an ancient mystery.

Teresa Copeland - VOYA

Rocketo Garrison lives on a vastly different earth, centuries after an alien monster destroyed the old world, rearranging even the continents. This new world is full of tigermen and fishwomen, of monstrous mutants and uncharted areas. With no magnetic field around the earth, only the mappers-those with genetic compasses-can navigate the dangerous planet. Rocketo is one such mapper, descended from a long line of mappers. This graphic novel follows Rocketo from childhood through tragedy, adventure, and war, until he begins the title adventure to a dangerous part of the world from which no mapper has ever returned-the Hidden Sea. Joining him is a cast of quirky characters-scheming, sometimes thieving pal Spiro, earthman Epiku, evil mobster Scarletto, and many oddball monsters. Rocketo's imaginative world and adventures strongly evoke Jules Verne's science fiction but with more explanation about how the world got that way. Espinosa makes the art match text and mood wonderfully, whether a few lines and color splashes or detailed landscapes. The fast-moving plot, fun characters, and cliffhangers keep the pages turning. Expect readers to wonder when the next volume is due. Rocketo received three nominations for this year's Eisner Awards, for best continuing series, best new series, and best cover artist. Two pages of maps make following the plot much easier. Also included are concept sketches and painted illustrations, some of which hint at what will take place in the next volume. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P J S G (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Graphic Novel Format). 2006, Image Comics,304p., Trade pb. Ages 12 to 18.