FTL, Y'all!

Gr 7 Up—In the very near future, blueprints for a hyperdrive engine are anonymously uploaded to the Internet. These diagrams contain extremely detailed instructions using cheap, easily accessible parts, making intergalactic space travel an instant reality for anyone with a couple hundred bucks. This anthology of 25 short comics describes what happens next: the families escaping the looming environmental crisis on Earth, haphazard colonization on far-away planets, and what remains of those who stay behind. Although the setting is futuristic, some of the conflicts depicted still closely mirror current society. In "Space To Grow," space blogger SpaceAce documents travels to unexplored planets, while simultaneously fending off cyberbullies in the comments section. The collection also examines the greed, chaos, and corruption that come with the instant democratization of FTL (faster than light) space travel. Each vignette is emotive, thoughtful, and revealing. The result is an utterly fascinating, oftentimes disturbing look at humanity's highs and lows, with distinctive artwork that runs the gamut from extreme surrealism to stylistic cartoons.