"A forerunner of queer-friendly comics and space opera...,"[1] "A Distant Soil was something that really had not been seen before – a New Age take on science fiction with gorgeous costumes, young siblings with an unknown destiny, a blinding mix of magic with technology…fantasy and alien ships combine under Doran’s ethereal watch.
"[2] The story, which Doran created at the age of twelve, centers on a young girl who is born heir to an alien religious dynasty, and explores issues of politics, gender identity, and tolerance.
[3] A Distant Soil is among the first US graphic novels created solely by a female writer/artist, appearing in fanzines when the artist was still in high school.
[5][6][7][8] It was recommended as a graphic novel of interest to improve reading skills for "reluctant readers" in Library Media Connection [9].
The Voice of Youth Advocates profiled the book in their quarterly journal, stating that one of Doran's influences for A Distant Soil was the 1978 Samuel R. Delany/Howard Chaykin graphic novel Empire.
[2]" In Comics: A Global History, 1968 to the Present, Dan Mazur and Alexander Danner wrote of A Distant Soil's "...kitchen sink approach to genre, combining elements of space opera, Arthurian legend, romantic drama, and complex political maneuvering....Doran admirably bucks the fantasy genre's tendency to make the heroic leader a seemingly indestructible warrior.
..Seren is a politically powerless but well-intentioned puppet of other actors...a volatile mix of melodramatic temper, moral righteousness, and lonely stunted child, simultaneously noble and deeply damaged.
Incarcerated in a mental hospital where they are the subjects of study, Jason becomes suspicious of the Institute's motives, and urges Liana to run away.
Liana encounters a group of humans and an Ovanan man, and his companion, D'mer, also Rieken's lover, who hails from another planet called Kimar, which is under Hierarchy rule.
Rieken and D'mer go on a quest to find more humans who will help them save Liana, and to prevent Ovanan from exercising power over Earth.
The implication is that myth and legend is a kind of Earth Collective, a manifestation of human will that has taken a different form than the psionic energy of Ovanan.
Unknown to Jason and his companions, Rieken is really Seren, the Avatar in disguise, who has quietly been working behind the scenes to try to overthrow the shackles of the oppressive Hierarchy.
Having been incarcerated in a mental hospital most of her life, she has social skill problems, and is seemingly childlike and innocent, but clever.
Once the prince of House Teramis, the military race of Ovanan, Kovar gave up his throne out of religious devotion to the Avatar.
Doran left after nine issues due to an acrimonious dispute with WaRP, which was accused of attempting to claim copyright and trademark on her work.
Colleen Doran and twelve other creators, including science fiction artist David Cherry and New Age author Mary Summer Rain, sued Donning for copyright violation and fraud.
Doran's experiences established her as a prominent artist spokesperson, eventually landing her in Washington, DC, working as a lobbyist for creator rights.
She fleshed out earlier scenes and added new ones, as well as a backstory series Seasons of Spring, the story of A Distant Soil's protagonists as children.
[23] A Distant Soil spawned trading cards, fanzines, pinup books, limited editions, prints and posters, a fan club, and its creator has appeared in numerous documentaries and interviews.