Earthlight Volume 1 [Paperback]

Stuart Moore (Author), Christopher Schons (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Earth's first space colony, teens will still be teens, sneaking off to an abandoned observatory (which resembles water towers used for the same purpose in Earthbound stories) just for kicks. An accident results in three deaths and a change in colony administration. The story proper picks up with the new kid, brought to the colony by his father, the new administrator, and mother, the new schoolteacher. Other kids have their own issues: Lise can't stand to be touched, and Xan is a self-centered punk picking fights to establish his alpha status. Schons's art is a standout; he draws spacesuits and SF gizmos well but doesn't lose sight of the characters. Although the book is part of TokyoPop's Global Manga line, the main manga influence is on the character design. Moore introduces concepts and characters effectively with just a few text lines, but some of the characterization is two-dimensional. The mother is too perfect, with just the right tale of "when I was your age" for every teen drama. Basically The O.C. on the moon, Earthlight's situations are still universal and appealing for a YA audience. The most promising plot points raised (like the kids' anger at their loss of control and what caused the deaths) remain to be resolved in future volumes. (Oct.)
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From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—In the year 2068, anyone from Earth is disparagingly called a "weeder" by the residents of the Earthlight Lunar Colony. The latest arrivals are the new colony director, the new teacher at the Earthlight Academy, and their son, Damon. Because of such well-known parents, being a weeder, and showing interest in Xan's girlfriend, Lise, Damon quickly becomes a target of Xan and his friends. Some of the conflicts in this book are resolved with unrealistic speed. For example, Lise is told by her teacher that she doesn't have to stand for Xan's abuse and then minutes later, in an amazing empowerment turnaround, she tells him off. Using a savvy marketing angle, this book is presented as manga and from a distance it looks like a Japanese import. But those who examine it more closely will discover that it reads left to right and is actually an American creation. The artwork features beautiful images of the colony's structures, as well as many views of the star-filled sky. The end of the book includes drawings and 3-D software images that were used as early designs for the final version. The humans are drawn realistically, although their hair is a little pointy at times (the manga influence, or just the effect of no atmosphere?). Periodic references to terrorism foreshadow the cliff-hanger ending in which a terrorist (the LAST person you'd expect) takes over a power satellite and holds the Earth hostage. Readers will clamor for volume two to see what happens next.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: TokyoPop (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598167057
• ISBN-13: 978-1598167054
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,842,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about Time!, February 19, 2007

By 

Morpheus 01 "M01" (Matrix) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earthlight Volume 1 (Paperback)

This book takes Japanese manga where it needs to go with direct involvement of various cultures. I have been a fan of Japanese animation for almost two decades, and this book represents the cutting edge of the industry with a universal and coherent storyline, 5 Stars. Keep up the good work!

I am also looking forward to volume 2!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SF manga with American grit, January 25, 2007

By 

Jinjyaa (CT, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earthlight Volume 1 (Paperback)

I adore Japanese manga and Japanese culture. But their culture isn't ours. Earthlight manages to catch the best of both.

The lunar Earthlight colony is a multinational melting pot - 54 squabbling, troubled nations funded it, and sent some lucky few to live up there. The parents are busy 24/7, the kids ... are kids. Smart independent teens, but realistically written - they have problems beyond their ability to solve. The lunar environment is harsh, the cost of mistakes catastrophic. And worst of all punishments - the threat of being sent back to live on Earth, where life has gotten more and more difficult as the years have gone by.

This first volume started a little slow, in that the main human character hadn't arrived yet - we start out by meeting the environment, almost a character in itself. But then we get to the human characters, too, and it ended with a bang! I'm really looking forward to volume 2!