Gus Benes is sent to survey land in the desert; upon arrival at the designated location, what he’s expecting to find simply isn’t there.

Yet he’s soon drawn into a very weird situation, upon the arrival of a woman – who seemingly appears to have walked out of, well…nowhere.

Yet that’s nothing compared to what transpires when the tornado arrives.

The first issue of Voyager #1 is quite the trip; told naturalistically with beautiful art that would feel right at home in a European graphic novel – which is intentional, given that the press release does cite the work of Moebius – it’s a great example of melding the fantastical with the mundane.

There’s a deliberately paced build up, with large and detailed – showy, but not busy – panels that effortlessly draw the reader into the story.

The climactic scenes in this issue riff on Ancient Greek mythology, with some beautiful designs that contrast with the sparse mundanity of the preceding sequences.

Though there’s a few minor issues with slightly awkward dialogue – which just feels a little off in one or two instances, perhaps due to the English translation – and the odd typo, these don’t hamper the overall superb set-up, for what is planned to be a six issue series.w

Writer Rodolfo Santullo and artist Roberto Viacava have hit upon a winning concept here – and I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds for the displaced Gus Benes.

Voyager #1 is currently seeking funds on Kickstarter. If my review has whetted your appetite for the first issue – and trust me, it’s well worth reading – then please do go and help it across the finish line; you can pledge at various levels for print or digital copies of the issue, as well as getting hold of bonus rewards too. The Kickstarter campaign page for Voyager #1 can be found here.