I was very fortunate to chat with Ben Mauro when he appeared at Toronto’s Fan Expo. And I have just finished the first installment in his Huxley saga. Filled with world-building and fantastic art, Mauro takes some familiar science fiction tropes, and incorporates them in a new way.

The trade paperback is composed of the tale’s first six issues, with a cover gallery in the back, alongside early sketches. Mauro, a renowned conceptual artist, has been working on this saga for over a decade. In this first collection we are given the barest glimpse of the worlds he is preparing to explore with his characters.

We are introduced to a pair of scavengers, Kai and Max – I am looking forward to learning more about them, and the Ronin they represent in future tales – and their latest find, a Hyperion model robot that seems to have a sentient intelligence within.

Called Huxley, this droid seems to have some secret plan within it, some galaxy-changing thing, If only he could recall it.

Max and Kai help Huxley in this quest, not realizing they are stepping into something bigger than just making a quick buck.

They find themselves pursued by Demon, an unstoppable mechanical intelligence that is determined to incorporate Huxley into its existence.

The story is engaging, there are moments of great terror and humour. Whether we’ve seen it all yet, Mauro has created worlds here, and knows what everything does, and who its inhabitants are. And his art! Well, you can see nods to Mobius, and anime, and in his early sketches I was struck by the layers, and was put in the mind of Syd Mead’s designs and Ridley Scott’s storyboards.

Mauro’s worlds are layered, have a history, and his full-page panels are some of my favourite images in this trade paperback. And even as it draws to a close, you know this is all prologue for what is to come.

Mauro and his art are beckoning us to a whole universe waiting to be explored. Having spoken with Mauro, I know there is more to come, and I can’t wait to see where these characters go, what it means for Huxley.

And those designs! The Onyx is very cool, but the wreckage of the space elevators in stations in orbit, I found them stunning. And I want more of it.

We’ve been plunged into this universe, a little of it, and where it is going is unveiled before this collection’s end, but it tees up what is to come nicely. I’m looking forward to seeing where Mauro takes the story next, and what the events in this story mean for what is to come.

Check out Huxley by Ben Mauro – fantastic art, world-building and sci-fi fun!