Review: The Kármán Line by Dennis Hopeless

Title: The Kármán Line
Creator: Dennis Hopeless
Published: 2023

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher

I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. The comic book is decent and I enjoyed reading through it. The artwork was fitting and the characters were okay.

Earth is Dying and Social Media

The earth is dying. Five astronauts are working in space for a potential Mars colonization program. All of the astronauts are specialists in a different field. In addition to the usual space occupations, there is also a social media influencer. She was sent up there to ensure that the ratings are kept up and that the mission is funded by the viewers. However, when the five astronauts each receive a variation of the order “RETURN TO EARTH”, chaos ensues and each person tries to make it back. Meanwhile, the camera continue to broadcast.

Social Media Commentary

Mostly, I interpreted the comic as a social media critique. After all, the astronauts each receive a slightly different message and interpret it differently. In a way, it’s a commentary on social media, where each of us is separated from another by the news or ‘news’ that we consume. Since the news often reports on events happening far away from us, we have to trust that the news is accurate and reliable. What if the news is faked? What if the person sharing the message was more concerned with commercial issues than with reliability? Social media, as a mobilization tool, has the power to create and to destroy. The comic did get me thinking about these issues and the fact that it provided a bit of social commentary elevates it to a higher status than comic books that merely provide entertainment.