Science fiction and magic perfectly measured out. Raygun Gothic has a real Frank Herbert, Dune, quality to it. The first paragraph drew me in, and the following pages left me longing for more.
Raygun Gothic begins in the distant future and is presented through the eyes of an immortal man, a king. In the first two parts of the story we are introduced to a world at war. A future where technology is deeply ingrained in the culture, and yet war has changed very little. Human blood is spilled with the same disregard for life, and power seems to be the motivation of conflict. Early it is pointed out that humans are better for war than robots. One reason being, robots are more expensive and difficult to produce. A chilling thought to be sure.
“Her uniform told me one story. Her scars told me another.” I realize this quote is completely out of context, but it’s such a cool line. The writing from start to finish is fantastic. When it comes to graphic novels, or really, comics in general, writing often appears to take a backseat as if it were an afterthought. Words are forsaken and replaced with Technicolor splash pages. GMB Chomichuk bucks the system with Raygun. The writing is as important, if not more so than the images. And while the illustrations are dynamic and action packed, they aren’t necessarily, necessary. The writing stands on its own two feet. I would joyfully read this book sans pictures without feeling the slightest bit unsatisfied.
That being said, the illustrations energize the pages. The graphics are electric. The artwork balances the story. The writing and illustrations are done by the same artist. You can always tell. In music there’s a huge gap between the musicians who write their own songs and the ones who simply play what has been written for them. I think all art is sort of like that. You can learn to play a guitar, but it doesn’t make you an artist, and you can learn to draw, but if you make your money painting reproductions, you’re just a painter.
Raygun Gothic is that rare comic book amalgam. Written like a novel and presented like a comic. After reading the first two parts of the series, I believe it may turn out to be one of the few books deserving to be called a graphic novel.
You can read this book for free, adding another layer of intrigue to an already intriguing series. It’s not for sale. You can visit issuu.com right now and read the first two parts of the series, or you can sign up for a free account and actually download the book to your computer, or iPad, or whatever your preferred device may be.
I’m kind of flabbergasted. If you would like to be flabbergasted as well go to Raygun Gothic, and read this book.
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