Aquablue is a French sci-fi graphic novel by writer Thierry Cailleteau and several artists, including Olivier Vatine (first volumes), Ciro Tota and Stéphane Brangier. Set in a planet with more than 90% water, Aquablue follows the adventures of Wilfried Morgenstern, eventually known as Nao, as he fights off invaders when they try to use Aquablue’s natural resources for their personal gain.

The premise is good because it promotes ecological themes even outside Earth’s ecosystem. But the story lacks transitions in between panels and dialogues, making scenes appear too fast. One such example is when Nao is quick to learn how to use a gun when he spent most of his life among an indigenous culture.

One other thing is with Earth’s development of technologically-advanced space cruises and sleek-looking exploration vessels and warships, I was a bit underwhelmed that some of the scenes showed weapons like a bayonet and non-futuristic clothing for some of terran characters. But that may only be because, in this day and age, we’ve seen enough sci-fi films that were developed using the latest state-of-the-art technology and in a way compare it to visions of the future three decades earlier.

However, even with these small setbacks, Aquablue is an interesting and promising story. I’ve only read Volume 1, but I’m willing to read further until its conclusion.