Vern: Custodian of the Universe

Vern is stuck. Having left Florida for San Francisco in search of purpose and work, he’s now back home—jobless, aimless, and crashing with his mum and grandma. Then comes an unexpected opportunity: a mysterious job prospect with the Quasar Corporation (coincidentally, where his grandmother once worked), a reality-bending place of employment, and a sudden promotion to… Custodian of the Universe. Vern would rather lie in bed and soak up the gloom, but his grandmother is a force to be reckoned with.
This ambitious debut graphic novel hurls its protagonist—and readers—into a frenetic sci-fi multiverse, where dimensional jumps, sentient space gators, and a ‘giant wire computer dude’ all jostle for attention. At the heart of it all lies a surprisingly relatable existential thread: Vern’s ongoing confrontation with ‘The Void,’ a cosmic force that repeatedly asks, ‘What is the point?’ — a question Vern himself can’t stop asking. There’s no shortage of energy here. Waiters’ art bursts with saturated colour, erratic momentum, and experimental layouts. Some spreads dazzle; others overwhelm. Readers may find themselves working hard to keep up, both narratively and visually. In the rush of high concepts and chaotic detours, emotional depth occasionally slips away, with characters often driving plot rather than anchoring it.
Still, there’s genuine thematic weight beneath the madness: explorations of burnout, intergenerational care, identity, and the dread of stepping into adulthood. Vern’s arc—rooted in his grandmother’s cryptic past—offers glimpses of clarity in an otherwise deliberately scattered structure.
This isn’t a book to skim. Vern asks its readers to sit with its messiness, take their time, and make peace with not having all the answers. For some, it’ll be a cosmic joyride. For others, a challenging plunge into the void. Either way, there’s value in the ask.