The Expanse: Dragon Tooth
Written by Andy Diggle

Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted December 9, 2023
Edits and Addenda on December 9, 2024

Volume One / Volume Two / Volume Three

Buy Volume One from Bookshop or Amazon. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Based on the Expanse novels, this is a new addition to the story, not a rehash of things we have already read or seen on TV. While I have not read any comments directly from the authors behind the pseudonym James S. A. Corey, the credits page for the Dragon Tooth graphic stories says "Developed by Daniel Abraham & Ty Frank." That may mean only "based on characters created by..." or they may have supplied ideas for the story. Many different books, films, and TV have received graphic treatments the past few years, but most of them are direct adaptations of the same story we have already seen. If that had been the case with Dragon Tooth I would not have been interested, since I have read all nine novels and eight shorter stories, and watched every episode multiple times. This is not even the first time the Expanse has been offered in graphic form, but I never bothered with the "Origins" comics since they were simply background information on the main characters, which I already knew from the books. The first volume of four issues is to be released December 19, but I have already read the first six issues since I contributed to Boom! Studios Kickstarter campaign. What I read was in PDF form, loaded on my Kindle tablet, and they look great, but I will be getting the trade paperback in the mail soon after release. It is available for pre-order from both Amazon and Bookshop (links above), and I assume direct from comics shops, but neither of those two online retailers show a link for the hardcover editions. They may be exclusive to Kickstarter contributers at a higher tier level than I could afford. What I paid is about the same as if I had waited and bought the individial volumes from Bookshop, but I also got a few other perks, including the "Origins" issues, so I may eventually take a look at them.

I don't want to say too much about the story yet, just some general comments. What I have to say will not be spoilers for those who have read through the sixth novel, or watched all the show. If that doesn't apply to you, and you don't like spoilers, stop reading. Just get the comics and save them until you have reached that point. The events depicted take place after the final episode of the show on Prime, which covered up to the end of the sixth novel, Babylon's Ashes, with some added scenes from a later novella, "Strange Dogs." There was a big time jump between books six and seven, almost twenty years. That has puzzled me, but I assumed the gap was in order to justify the huge leap in technological development by Laconia, utilizing a sample of the protomolecule which they had obtained. Along with the various political factions on the different sides of many issues, Earth, Mars, the Belt, the militaries and corporations of each, the most dangerous group was the rogue Martians under the leadership of Admiral Winston Duarte. They conspired with the Belt's Free Navy, led by Marco Inaros, to get the protomolecule, then they left Inaros high and dry, and escaped Sol System through the spatial gate to Laconia. Duarte also abandoned some of his own forces, ones who had infiltrated Belter groups, and closed off the Laconia gate, denying anyone access to that system. The Dragon Tooth forces, under the nominal leadership of a man whose real name may or may not be Sohiro, are disrupting Belter, Earth, and Martian activities wherever they can. But for what purpose? If they can't go to Laconia, why are they destroying ships and supplies bound for other gate systems, rather than using those supplies for themselves? That is yet another task faced by James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante. The first volume has just set the premise, with the resolution left for later volumes.

Considering the huge gap between the novels, I'm assuming there may be more graphic stories later, especially if these prove popular. What I have seen so far is well worth the cost of the Kickstarter, even without the extras. The images of the characters, ships, and stations are consistent with the show, and so far that also applies to the character interactions. Throughout the books Naomi Nagata was my favorite character, and the same for the show most of the time, but I also loved Chrisjen Avasarala, Bobbie Draper, and Camina Drummer, and my appreciation for Amos Burton increased. That is a bit weird for me since I am totally unlike a man like Amos, who is quick with a gun, a knife, or his fists. Another weird thing about the big time jump; Clarissa Mao was still on the Rocinante after twenty years, and the bond between her and Amos had grown, but was also beginning to show strain. Those two characters alone, in scenarios we have yet been able to read or watch, interests me as much as anything else. We'll just have to wait to see how things develop. I already have up to issue seven in PDF, but have only read through the sixth. I'm sure I will re-read the first volume when I get the paperback, but might hold off on the others until the second book is available next spring. I will update this page later, but for now I will say this should be high on every Expanse fan's wish list..

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Posted December 9, 2024
I should have updated this page before now, since I read Volume Two months ago, but today is appropriate since it has been a year to the day since my initial review. Something I said in the section above might not apply now, only time will tell. There was a gap of twenty years between novels six and seven, and this graphic story encompasses those twenty years, with Volume Two taking place ten years after the first. I didn't spoil the end of Volume One, but I will say now the Rocinante crew thought Sohiro (or whatever his real name is) had been killed. Nope, he had tricked them and their sensors. He and another rogue Martian had lain low for a while, then infiltrated other stations. Evelyn Mayes was assigned to a project being developed by Elvi Okoye, a character who appeared in the fourth novel and fourth season of the show, and she recurred in later books. She is studying the ring gates, especially trying to figure out how Duarte had closed off the Laconia gate, and whether or not that could be circumvented.

Sohiro and Mayes were trying to send messages to Duarte, letting him know of their accomplishments, and their other proposed plans. They want to go to Laconia, and cannot understand why Duarte is ignoring them, since they had been loyal followers from the very beginning of his defection from Mars. That defection had been planned for many years, with its beginnings years before the ring gates were discovered, probably before the protomolecule had been revealed. The Dragon Tooth forces came from Martian families who had infiltrated Belter groups, so that their children were born in low-gravity environments. Holden and crew are tasked with security for Okoye's project, but by the time they arrive one of the top scientists is missing. It is not a large station, so it is puzzling where he could be, why no one had seen him for several days, why he wasn't answering his comms. There is another of Sohiro's operatives on the station, but Mayes only knows them by a code name, with no idea of their identity. The missing scientist is found, then during further investigation Naomi gets too close to the truth and is nearly killed in a fire, an obvious booby trap. It is another investigation Holden thinks has been solved, but he is once again tricked by Sohiro, now presenting himself as a Belter comrade named Morrigan. Mayes and Morrigan are able to parlay their "assistance" to Holden into positions on Medina Station. .

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Buy Volume Three from Bookshop or Amazon. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Posted December 9, 2024
Another ten year time jump, so we are getting very close to the beginning of the seventh novel. Volume Three opens on Earth, with a mysterious agent, obviously from Dragon Tooth, stealing valuable intel that may lead them to gain access to Laconia. Morrigan, whose real name we eventually learn is Dhillon, is now among the security forces on Medina Station serving under Carlos "Bull" c de Baca. Evelyn Mayes is on the station too, but not in any specific capacity as far as I could see. Dhillon does come to her for assistance to make sure incriminating evidence of his forces are not learned by station security. At the same time, Amos is picked up by two women at a bar, which proves to be a kidnapping in hopes of gaining access to the Rocinante. It had previously been learned that simultaneous transfers in and out of adjacent gates, posed problems for one if not both ships, with Marco Inaros's Pella one that was destroyed that way at the end of Babylon's Ashes. Dhillon was willing to risk his ship being the one to survive the transfer, and by that time he hoped his ship would be the Rocinante.

I'm sure you've heard of two different sayings: "Best laid plans…" and "Be careful what you wish for." Dhillon does eventually make it to Laconia, but not in the fashion he wanted, and his reception was exactly the opposite of what he expected. Not welcomed as a hero, but rather subjected to Duarte's further experimentations with the protomolecule. I cannot recall if Dhillon was mentioned by name in Tiamat's Wrath, but if still alive at that time he would have been among test subjects at an isolated facility on Laconia. The climax of this story goes down to the wire in an exciting race to recover the Rocinante before Dhillon flies it through the Laconia gate, while at the same time Dragon Tooth had propelled a large ice mass to transfer through Sol gate. Bobbie Draper seals Dhillon's fate, and Amos is miraculously able to fly the Rocinante for the first time, with a flip and burn maneuver to avoid Laconia gate.

In the first part of this review I speculated about possible further graphic stories if this proved popular. Since Dragon Tooth spanned the twenty year gap in the novels, maybe not. Then again, there are many other events that could be told. Camina Drummer became the president of the Transport Union at the end of the sixth book, overseeing many things that could be elaborated in side stories. New stations, revitilization of older stations, including Medina, as well as the many other worlds accessible through the gates. Not everything has to center on the Rocinante. If there are more graphic stories I will be interesed, even if not from the same team responsible for Dragon Tooth. Recommended for any who consider themselves Expanse fans, whether of the books or the show, or both. Each paperback volume is thin, reportedly 112 pages each, but if you subtract the opening credits and the variant cover art at the end, each is only 88 pages. I would have preferred the complete story in one volume, but I am happy with what I got. The purchase links provided are for the trade paperbacks, the hardcover edition apparently exclusive to the Kickstarter campaign. Amazon also offers them through Comixology. They are also available at comic shops, even if you have to ask them to order for you.

One other thing to note. One of the main characters survived through all of the novels, but for reasons I won't get into his story ended in the fifth season of the TV series. He is briefly mentioned in the first issue of Dragon Tooth, but in a memorial setting. The new pilot taking his place is Bobbie Draper. Keep that in mind if you ever read the seventh novel and beyond, since they had been written before the episode in which he died was completed.

 

Related Links:
My reviews of the books, Part 1 - Leviathan Wakes - The Vital Abyss
Part 2 - Babylon's Ashes - Sins of the Fathers
The first 3 seasons of The Expanse on Syfy
Seasons 4-6 on Amazon Prime

 

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