Gone
Jock
DSTLRY, 2024

Jock has had a long career as an artist. He has created interior art, but has been especially prolific as a cover artist. So it is a bit surprising that this science fiction story represents his debut writing and drawing a creator-owned project. The setting is an impoverished planet, where menial workers barely make a living resupplying starships. Thirteen-year-old Abi and a rough group of friends stow away on a huge luxury space-liner, looking to score rich cargo which could set them up for years. But some of her friends are not what they seem. They stage an armed uprising, and she finds herself branded a saboteur, desperately struggling to evade the ship’s crew. She had intended to take a shuttle back to the surface after the score, but instead finds herself on board for a long voyage. It lasts for years, Abi grows up onboard, and eventually encounters her estranged father. It is far from a loving reunion, and Abi finally returns home, reuniting with her mother. Abi is so aged and changed that her mother does not recognize her at first: the story ends there, so we can only imagine the rest.  Jock’s art is energetic and expressive as always, but it is handicapped by the dark interiors, as well as by some characters that can be confusing due to their similar appearance.