The Silver Six by AJ Lieberman (review)

In the near future, an overpopulated world is at the mercy of Craven Industries, a company with the sole means of mining Earth's only remaining energy source. Young Phoebe finds herself forced into an orphanage, where she meets five other kids whose parents, like Phoebe's, were all scientists and were all killed in a mysterious accident on a Craven space shuttle. Craven's evil CEO is, of course, responsible, as Phoebe's folks were on the verge of discovering a new renewable energy source before their deaths and left clues to their discovery with their children—clues the kids must now piece together as they travel to a moon, narrowly escape Craven's henchmen, and negotiate their new friendship dynamic. This science fiction graphic novel suffers from a lack of both consistent pacing and characterization, particularly in the actions of the villain's assistant (whose shock at being asked to kill the children—after he's been chasing them with a laser gun—seems completely out of character). Phoebe and her pals, though, are charmingly likable, and their resourcefulness in a few tight situations has a rebellious MacGyver-like quality that keeps the adventure thrilling without being truly threatening. Oversized heads (faces sometimes blank and expressionless) and action lines populate Rawlings' cartoony illustrations; the sequential paneling and helpful visuals manage to strike a nice balance with the text to make this an easy introduction to graphic novels, particularly for those youngsters who like a happy ending to world-saving adventures.