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Classic Comic Compendium: FAR SECTOR is the crown jewel of DC’s Young Animal

Thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary through deep science fiction.

01/27/2025 11:00 am

I think that the DC’s Young Animal imprint did a lot very well.

It captured the essence of those weird hero books that fed in to what eventual became Vertigo, not just in the strangeness of the characters, but in the mature approach to themes and content, from complex questions of identity, the nature of the universe, fighting indoctrination, and through to having a podcast.

And thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary through deep science fiction.

“They say Green Lanterns can do the impossible.”

Far Sector by NK Jemisin, Jamal Campbell, and Deron Bennett introduced a new Green Lantern to the world, Sojourner Mullein, with a slightly different kind of ring, and a different kind of beat. A world where emotions had been decided to be problematic and shut off, in stark contrast to the depth of the emotional spectrum that had been established. Giving the series a stranger in a strange land vibe, all wrapped up in a murder mystery.

The world-building in the series is impeccable. It’s set in the City Enduring, a massive sprawling Dyson swarm world surrounding their star, with three primary races. Each race radically different, one of carnivorous plants, one sentient AI, and the last kind of bat-like hominids. After being dominated by an outside oppressor, the three races decided to eliminate emotion and rule by logic. For 500 years, apparently there hadn’t been a murder, until Jo Mullein arrives. It gets much, much more complicated, weaving through analogies to Black Lives Matter, social responsibility, systemic oppression, and more.

This world is beautifully constructed by Jamal Campbell’s art. His character designs for each of the races and for Jo Mullein add to the variety and breadth of this story, making each race feel unique even within the DC universe. His use of colour here making it more intriguing as styles and tones shift for each race, and for their locales. Like in Atville where there’s an increased use of white and negative space to represent a purely digital region. This diversity of style reflected too in Deron Bennett’s lettering. Even in something as simple as a shift in the appearance of word balloons between the AI and physical characters.

“Stuff that’s science fiction on my planet is Tuesday, here.”

That there was never a second series or a continuation (outside of Jo Mullein appearing in other Green Lantern titles, no shade intended on people who picked up the baton later) seems almost criminal. The City Enduring is a rich, fully-realized place and it feels like there’s so much more to the story. It’s a shame that there’s not been any more.

Far Sector by Jemisin, Campbell, and Bennett is a crown jewel in the DC’s Young Animal imprint. Through a seemingly simple murder mystery set-up, we get an intriguing new Green Lantern, a thoroughly detailed immersive new world with new races, and a complex sociopolitical system. All dealing with analogues to real life events and situations, exploring themes of systemic racism and oppression, the resentment garnered by the oppressed, overcoming personal biases, how power corrupts, and more. This is science fiction and superheroics at its best.