Planetes

Planetes story and art by Makoto Yukimura, translated by Yuki Johnson, 524 pages.

Graphic stories translated from the Japanese, tell the story of a garbage crew in Earth-orbit. Yuri, Fee, and Hachi work as extra-planetary sanitation workers, clearing debris left from old satellites and space vehicles, so that newer craft can avoid collisions with junk moving at frightening speed (you know, like in the 2013 Sandra Bullock film, Gravity). Yuri is married as the story opens, but that soon chnges. Hachi becomes the focus as the story continues; his quest to join a mission to Jupiter becomes the central story. The story meanders a bit, and the characters mostly feel under-developed. The storyline concerning the terrorist group, the Space Defense League, is awfully thin. Overall the book is saved by Yukimura's interesting art that does, however, become Manga-esque whenever a character has strong feelings.