A Graphic Novel by Stephen Desberg & Daniel Koller

Mayam Book 1, The Terran Delegation by Stephen Desberg & Daniel Koller is one of those graphic novels that cuts off at such an inopportune time, that I really hope Europe Comics releases more so I can finish it. I say this because right when the book hooked me, it ended! I will say that the beginning of the book doesn’t really hold your hand too much, leaving me somewhat confused as to what was actually going on for a bit. All we really get is the fact that the main character, Lenny June, is somewhat questionable in many ways, and as a result very unlikeable as a protagonist. He has a beautiful fiancé, but spends most of his time amassing wealth and spending it on the services of local courtesans. It’s made clear that he was given his job, a legal attaché to a high-ranking official, simply because of his corruptibility and perceived stupidity. It’s not until the book veers into both a mystery plot and a satire of what a planet would be like if entirely ran by numerous cults, that I was eagerly turning pages.

“Lenny June is your average happy-go-lucky expat, out for a good time and a quick buck. And on Tyr Mayam, a technologically backward planet riven by religious rivalries, he has it easy. It helps that he’s quick-witted, handsome, and an exclusive member of the Galactic Confederation’s Terran delegation to a world that’s been declared an ethnologically protected zone for the next 500 years. But Lenny’s life is about to change. For one, his fiancée is due from Earth any day now. And Tyr Mayam, with its doomsday cults and competing sects, has surprises in store, buried deep in ancient history…”

Overall, I like how this book turned a corner in the middle and veered into a very interesting narrative. I still have some issues with it, and Mr. June seems to use female characters as props or even property for the most part, which will either make or break this book’s ability to be successful on the US market. Having only one-quarter of the story, I will back away from making a value judgement without full information, but the above is problematic for many reasons. The art is solid, and the writing is adequate despite the confusion that I initially had. I at least want to read more, so I’d say mission accomplished for the publisher and the author. It held my attention, and I’m interested to see where it goes from here.

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NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.