Spaceman #3

"Past 1,000,000" (3 of 9)
written by Brian Azzarello
art by Eduardo Risso

Orson and Tara may arrive back and settle in at Orson's place, a decision NOT to return her home that is simultaneously stupid and savvy, but Spaceman #3 is mostly about her pursuit, both by the cops investigating her supposed kidnapping and by the sheik who ordered it.  Azzarello's disheartening and satirical vision of a world in which well-meaning but vacuously beautiful celebrities preoccupy public attention and reality television is more powerful than news outlets continues here, but surprisingly it's also a world filled with people who are more or less competent.  Policeman Wade, for instance, seems basically capable at his job and invested in Tara's return.  The intentions of these characters and their faith in Orson seem by the end of the issue poised to be tested, when both the neighborhood kids friendly with Orson and his prostitute confidante become aware of Tara's temporary residence with him.

"Past 1,000,000"'s best surprise, one that continues to complicate the relationship between Orson's fantasies about Mars and the events surrounding Tara, comes in its final few pages, in which Orson's fellow spaceman appears as a notorious bounty hunter hired by the sheik to locate Tara.  Like the Mars mission, in which he finds veins of gold by exploding the terrain and repurposes his companions in a new mission while they await reconstruction of the greenhouse, Carter is primarily interested in money.  What makes this of particular interest is that Orson is currently unaware of his involvement, making his incorporation into Orson's dreams a difficult aspect to reconcile with the general perception of what those dreams actually are or represent.

[February 2012]