Battlestar Galactica: War of Eden, Story by Comic Writer Rob Liefeld

Famous and controversial illustrator Rob Liefeld helped write the story for this first issue of the Battlestar Galactica series, telling the story called War of Eden.

A brief synopsis of the story is given on the last vestige of human civilization, a battlestar called Galactica, is given.

Humanity was growing exponentially across a dozen planets when the Cylon empire, Cybernetic beings who conquered worlds and stole technologies, nearly wiped out the whole race of man. Humanities last hope is the Galactica, all other battlestars were destroyed by the Cylons.

Led by commander Adama, the Galactica crew hope to find an ancient tribe said to have "migrated to a mythic world called Earth."

The comic opens with commander Adama on his death bed, and his son Apollo thought lost leaving no clear-cut successor to lead humanity to Earth. But Apollo returns, and finds that his father is dying.

Apollo had been abducted by a group called the Seraphs, who offered the technology needed to reach Earth called a Temporal Drive.

When Apollo finds his father dying of an incurable disease he writes that "It was the most devastating moment since the destruction of our civilization,"

The majority of the story is told from Apollo's journal and viewpoint. The Cylons are close to the Galactica, and Apollo decides the only chance they have to survive is to use a dangerous technology and reach Earth - humanity's last hope.

There is a strong use of colors in the comic which accentuate the story well. Right when the journal grows old, action is used to enliven the scene.

It is an ambitious comic that was published in 1995 (years ahead of the Battlestar Galactica's newest TV series), which is comparable to Star Wars in terms of scope, not to mention the deftly drawn fighter battles.

It could also be compared to the Babylon 5 series, as in Babylon it was the last of the star bases, and in Galactica the last of the battlestars.

The comic form suits the story of Battlestar Galactica better than the original TV series did, though it doesn't achieve what the latest Sci-Fi series has done. Still, this was the best attempt at retelling the story in the comic form. With novels out by the likes of Peter David, and with Rob Liefeld's lower popularity, it is easy to overlook this comic series.

Liefeld shows his talent for picking other talented writers to collaborate with, and tells the story well. On the last page is a short essay by Liefeld telling why he decided to make a second try at bringing the classic Galactica story to the comic medium.

In the end, it has enough action and a good enough story to be mentioned along with all the other adaptations of Battlestar Galactica.