Helen multiplied.
Creative Staff:
Story/Art: Dave Chisholm
What They Say:
All of the mysteries are revealed! With the apparent truth in tow and launch imminent, Helen’s plan to escape the orbit of Canopus proves to be less-than-ideal. In the aftermath, Arther helps her find the heart of the matter as Helen comes face-to-face with her past. Spine-chilling revelations meet mind-blowing action in this poignant, cathartic, satisfying conclusion.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Canopus has been an interesting journey as it progressed and gave off a good mix of Twilight Zone and Outer Limits vibes to me. Dave Chisholm crafted a solid story throughout it where we really got to be in Helen’s shoes as she struggled to deal with a bad situation, fractured memories, and a real impetus to save humanity before it’s all over. And with a specific kind of look to it in its color design, it was striking without being vibrant and that factors well into the ending pages here where the world she inhabits basically undergoes a paradigm shift. The use of color is strong throughout the series but with the ending, you get to see a bit more of the actual intent behind it beyond just a stylistic choice.
Helen has been through a lot here and we see her at a real breaking point here where after a vague memory of childhood, she awakens to see the result of where we left off. Namely, a large spike through her chest. One that she can yank out with pain but no problems past that, which leads her to pull her own heart out and watch it fall apart on her. Life has been surreal since she woke up from the crash but the reality of what’s going on is now hitting her even as Arther does his best to hide it from her. There’s a little bit of an echo of the Moon film here where Arther takes her to see the truth she needs to understand and having a crater full of Helen’s there is the shock to the system she needed. It’s at this point she realizes she’s in control of her own destiny and world – having just yanked her own heart out, and removing her helmet makes it all the clearer that she’s essentially a god here.
Arthur does his best to explain it and his own actions in trying to help her each time and you do feel sympathy for him even if her frustration is understandable as well. The book does turn to a little action, which I’m not sure it needs, but serves as a way for Helen to defeat what she was and what was happening, to make a clean break from the past as the other Helen’s combine into a larger Arther-like creature trying to eliminate her. But it’s amid all of the fighting that, through Arther’s words, that she finally comes to grips with the reality here and begins to take control in changing everything. Changing the path that her previous selves were on in order to move forward again. It’s when the color pops, when Helen becomes a creator rather than a reactive person. It’s when she invests in living rather than the mission that no longer matters. When she does for herself.
In Summary:
Canopus was an intriguing ride. You don’t see too many books like this, unfortunately, both in that it was a tight four-issue run that didn’t overstay its welcome but also one that made for an engaging mystery and story. You kept coming back because you wanted to know more, to see what the truth was, what weird thing might happen next. As we got more of the past events and understood the larger scale the more it connected and became engaging. Chisholm finishes out pretty strong here with Helen taking control of her life as best as she can and setting forward on a new path after understanding the reality of other paths. It’s a good book and one that definitely scratches an itch that I have that was getting a lot more attention in the 80s and 90s from indie producers.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Scout Comics
Release Date: July 22nd, 2020
MSRP: $3.99
