Review by Frank Plowright

The sample art is the opening page of Paul Tobin and Arjuna Susini’s science fiction caper, and if you’re not hooked by narrative captions instantly delivering a personality and a situation along with the stunningly realised future, then this isn’t for you.

We learn conman and thief Glane Breld has only been out of jail for nine hours. He already has another job lined up, but the people on his recruiting list that don’t hold a past grudge are either way out of his league or certifiably insane, which doesn’t seem to bother him. Heist is the name of the planet he’s on, home to every wanted person in the galaxy, and to many people Glane’s the person responsible for their predicament. Glane’s an optimistic man, though.

By the end of the opening chapter Tobin’s set up a prime caper story with Glane a resourceful hero to root for, a man with a righteous cause and a hateful enemy, and Susini has given readers a thorough immersion in a seedy alien world. His work has an appealingly loose quality, yet he packs the pages with quirky noodled details. In that way he’s similar to Ian Gibson in early 2000AD, yet his style is very different. He brings the people and their environments to life in joyous fashion, and that also counts for a lot.

Imagination is key to Heist. Tobin sets up one captivating and unpredictable scene after another, creates future technology, and supplies an engaging deadly supporting cast. Their talents are straight from the stock shelf, but Tobin ensures their personalities compensate. And Heist is funny. Darkly, laugh out loud funny in places, like Glane taking advantage of people impersonating him or the use of a cat meme. Tobin spices the plot by ensuring that while everything seems to be going Glane’s way we’re aware almighty trouble is on the agenda, but there’s a gleefully killer finishing chapter.

Instead of messing about having AI create movies, the big film studios should approach Tobin and Susini and ensure this hits the cinema screens.