A Star Called the Sun

Cosmic in scope, these contemplative sci-fi shorts by Canadian cartoonist Roy (the Prophet series) build a vast universe in a distant future with a critical eye toward humanity’s effect on alien worlds. Each tale spotlights bizarre new environments and their strange fauna and flora, such as “Hale-Bopp,” told from the puzzled point of view of a mutated elephant encountering humans for the first time. In “The Anchoress,” a student searches for the secret behind a mysteriously self-sustaining convent, while “A Portrait of the Artist as Hive Parasite” finds a human disastrously opening his mind to the history and travails of a Martian race. Parasites are a recurring theme that lends the collection a sinister, enigmatic air. The tales are bookended by a humorous, self-referential introduction and epilogue that places Roy in his own fictional postapocalyptic world. His worn-down characters, desolate environments, and grungy civilizations are reminiscent of the bande dessinée of Moebius and Grzegorz Rosiński, and are enlivened by the coloring in pastel shades and earth tones contributed by Sergei Nazarov and Drew Shields. The extensive worldbuilding and dark morals on offer here will appeal to fans of 2000 AD and Heavy Metal. (Mar.)