City Of Dust, Legends: The Enchanted & Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising - Graphic Novel Review

Identity, as a form of metaphor, continues to evolve within the basis of technological victimization versus the inherent tendencies of human nature. With this next structure of books from the powerhouse of Radical Publishing,  "City Of Dust" and "Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising" ring true in their instincts as the characters within are betrayed by a mental and emotional connotation which registers neither right nor wrong, simply a choice of the living. "Legends: The Enchanted", by comparison, envisions a different road where a persona decides truly who you are, inside and out.City Of Dust takes the aspect of Big Brother and places it within a neo-noir setting. The preternatural nature of man tends to go back to the simplest equation when every angle is taken care of. What the narrative here approaches, in context of its ideas, is the fact that with the extermination of books and absolute literary structure, imagination becomes a corruptible force of the young. Again the inception of identity (prevalent in alot of Radical's work) begins to slip away because every case, murder or infraction fits into a predetermined formula. The lead character here, Khrone, is a man who was preordained to convict his father of shepherding the very imagination that mankind had lost. The concept of seeing the world through fresh eyes mirrors the progression of children to strive for a higher goal. One of the holdbacks in modern society is the idea of machines (i.e. iPhones, Internet and the like) doing all the work without any forthcoming research on our own. The story here (especially with the Dr. Frankenstein twist) includes a distinct irony of its own in terms of the actual identity of lack thereof of said scientist Ajax who himself is primarily artificial. These reflexive points of view work very well. The art itself as a stalwart plays very lurid though the aspects of the monsters recreated renders as overwrought when the simple tease of the darkness they portray would have imparted an even more frightening perspective.Legends: The Enchanted takes a more metaphysical approach creating a hellish pattern of visages from nursery rhymes of lore envisioning a heavy metal approach to those lithe story times of old. While the "Hellraiser" motif of some of the instances such as the Troll Beneath The Bridge hold vicious weight, it is the insidious and righteous nature of some of the characters that completely bleed through. The aspect of Humpty Dumpty being the head of the underworld with a cracked demeanor that has more than a little bit of relation to "Scarface" is inspired. Goldilox and Bear act almost as bounty hunters while Jack (with the power of the Beanstalk) tends to team up with Red (Riding Hood) on his bike to hunt down the giants. While this outlay does not reflect a search for identity since all of these characters are inevitably defined, their journey does right true the need of acceptance in much the same way "X-Men" or even "Watchmen" interred. The interesting aspect here is that without a mentor or guide of some kind, these characters simply evolve through this underworld with a lack of a plan. Despite some of the ultra vivid art paints, this fills the quest as meandering. The little details however continue to peak the interest with the design of the Bio-Mech Fairies registering ultra cool.Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising returns to the more intent identity functionality inherent of Radical but within an almost Greek tragedy complex. A disavowed Marine responsible for not preventing a massive genocide on another planet retreats to Venus which is the only planet not overtaken by the imperialism of Earth. The narrative structure uses the basis of the wars of Earth structured into a solar system-wide conflict. The key however to the story is the moral dilemma of the disavowed female commander Samantha. The narrative also examines a divide between normal humans called "Helots" and "Splicers" who are genetically enhanced. Like racial profiling, this angle of the story becomes an inherent structure of the freedom being fought for. The Earth government tries to negotiate a peaceful surrender but, for the people of Venus, a sliver of freedom is better than a society of slavery. The intrinsic nature of the battle angles work because its mechanics have almost an sand and sandal epic tendency even though there is a definitive amount of mech. This is mirrored in the space battles and explosions and, most vividly in a 600-mile journey across a desert which ultimately is not adequately explored. The art seems almost blurred and rough meant to register the bleeding effect of time coupled with a realistic point of view of a much different world. In paradox though, at certain points, the strategic element of the battles becomes repetitive without accurately pinpointing the tactical advantage attained which loosens the impact of the story. Ultimately though it is the story of Samantha, this Helot considered by her superiors (including the Colonel from Earth sent to kill her) as one of the best Marines ever trained. She herself second guesses her nature in private identified, in no small way, by a pyschologist hologram which simulates the countenance of her dead kid sister. The potential of such battles and its political and social ramifications coupled with the intimate story of a broken woman who must lead creates an interesting basis for future installments indicative of great war story tradition.