Review: Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye

Quick Summary

Pros: Each of the stories told here has the wacky adventures that have made this series so fun. Many of the stories address meaningful topics and provide good character development. The artwork helps enhance the unique appeal of the collection.

Cons: The divided nature of the storytelling allows the collection to explore more topics but diminishes the quality of each exploration.

Overall: Incredibly unique storytelling and visuals help ensure that this book has the same unique appeal as the previous two volumes. This collection has fun adventures, meaningful themes, and character development that provides a great conclusion to the series. It has a few problems with transitions but is a mostly positive experience. If you enjoyed the previous two Cave Carson volumes, this collection is a great conclusion to his current story.

Story

Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye, by Jon Rivera, mostly continues the wacky adventures and psychedelic ponderings from the previous two Cave Carson titles. This volume takes the heroes on a strange trip through the cosmos, where they encounter a variety of unique worlds and where reality is more twisted than ever. Along the way, meaningful topics are addressed and the characters are able to grow more as individuals and as a larger group. The only problem is that not every chapter flows nicely into the next one, which slightly takes away from the reading experience. However, as a whole, this collection is still worthwhile and is another unique entry in the “Young Animal” comic imprint.

(spoilers start here)

Bizarre and often over-the-top action is never far from the center of Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye. This collection has the crew deal with the death and rebirth of a sentient star, resolve a war between mind-controlled aliens, salvage a doomed ship from an extinct race of creatures, and fight rock monsters in the heart of a giant space-jellyfish. Most of these adventures also involve chaotic twists and a lot of psychedelic drugs. Wacky shenanigans like these cannot be found in most other comic books and help define this series as something unique.

This volume also manages to include a deeper level of meaning into each entry in this series of adventures. Topics explored here include getting over trauma from the past, being happy with yourself as a person, and not focusing on revenge. One of this chapters also appears to be an allegorical look at the comic book industry as a whole.

However, the most meaningful development made over the course of this book is the progress the Carson family makes as a whole. Cave, Chloe, and some other characters are all able to forgive Cave for the mistakes he made and are able to grow closer as family and friends. This closes the series on a wholesome and happy note that feels earned, especially after the problems this group has experienced lately.

The negative side to Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye is that the chapters don’t always flow well into one another. The previous two collections featured a singular narrative that was slowly developed over the course of each chapter. This volume has a greater narrative but also takes time out to address a number of smaller concerns. This divided focus allows the collection to explore more topics but diminishes the quality of each exploration.  

(spoilers end here)

Art

Like the story, the artwork in Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye continues to hold the same unique appeal that was held by the previous two volumes in this character’s journey. Michael Avon Oeming’s work here instantly stands out as something different from the typical mainstream comic book. Psychedelic visuals and crazy colors, from Nick Filardi, wonderfully complement the bizarre nature of this particular series. What’s more, the switch in locations from underground to space allows Oeming to get even more creative and depict concepts that would never have been possible in previous collections. All in all, the artwork in this book is exactly what this comic needs.

Continuity

Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye continues Cave Carson’s story from Cave Carson has a Cybernetic Eye Vol. 2: Every Me, Every You (Review) and Milk Wars (Review) (Reading Order) .

As of now, Cave Carson’s story ends here and does not continue in any specific comic.

This volume also references stories from another comic book, detailed below:

• The comment about madness on planet Meta is a reference to the Shade the Changing Girl series, which begins with Shade the Changing Girl Vol. 1: Earth Girl Made Easy (Review).
• The “Forgotten Heroes” were a group formed to fight Vandal Savage in Action Comics #552, collected in Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane.