Titanium Rain #1 (OF 12)

   I come from a military family. There was some slight pressure to join up after high school but to most it was clear that my less than acquiescent attitude and scholarly approach to life probably wasn’t suited to martial life. However, there was one aspect of the armed forces that always got me interested: the aircraft. My Dad can rattle off specifics about all the WWII planes and my Uncle was still an active duty fighter jock up until a couple of years ago. I flew a plane once, tiny little propeller number, but it was still one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life, and the owner said I had a pretty good feel for flying too. But what does all this have to do with comics? Good question.

            While perusing the offerings from the various publishers at WonderCon I meandered over to the Archaia Studios Press booth. They put out Mouse Guard and The Lone and Level Sands, two very different books I enjoyed on very different levels. Variety is something I look for in a publisher so I wanted to see what else they had to offer. No joke, sitting in between David Peterson and m. p. mann were Josh Finney and Kat Rocha. Their book depicted an epic shot of two F-22-esque fighters rocketing at the reader with the runaway far in the background. I must have looked just intrigued enough because they immediately engaged me about their product. I’ve heard a lot of comics professionals talk about the awkwardness of selling. How difficult it can be to go from the introvert who works from home on their artsy project to the extrovert carnival barker pushing their wares on the rubes, so I greatly appreciate when the people behind the tables say “hey” to me.

            They wanted know if I’d heard of their book, I replied that I honestly hadn’t but was something of a aeronautical dork (but to be fair, there are many other words besides “aeronautical” that could go in front of dork and still be appropriately referencing me) so I was intrigued by the cover. They told me a little about the project and I asked if they planned on collecting it when it was finished. This is a weird question because there can be something of a stigma for “trade-waiters” so I defended myself by pointing out that I write reviews for some dinky little website. I don’t like writing reviews of single issues. There are websites out there that do a fantastic job of just that but personally I want to judge a complete story, not 1/12^th of the tale. It seems unfair to the creators and those who read the review. But they had a strong pitch, and asked me to try the first issue just for the hell of it. So I did.

            Exceptions should be reserved for the exceptional. Now it’s entirely possible that this book was written for me. I can’t discount that, but I still want to recommend it to all of you. It’s set in the not too distant future, always a good setting for Sci-Fi, and involves a pretty messy global military conflict. That’s about all you need to jump in because the conflict will be explained through the metaphor of a poker game played by bored officers that surprisingly comprised a majority of this issue. At the end something, I don’t know what, drastic occurs and the pilots suit up to launch. The final page mimics the cover with advanced aircraft punching the sky in the mouth. In the background of this exploration of military life there is an epic undercurrent concerning the evolution of man including the role of biotech as a corrupting force of in-nature. The concepts are tantalizing and I want to know exactly how it’ll play out. The wildly different characters destroy any preconceived notion about cookie-cutter attitudes of servicemen and women, which is as refreshing as it is interesting as their group dynamic unfolds around the card table and the clouds.

            The art is bold. Oftentimes I find art that is model referenced static and unappealing but Kat Rocha’s characters act their part in each and every panel. She really utilizes one of the greatest strengths of this style of art that I think is oft overlooked, which is when you have actual people portraying the characters then you can very easily have everyone look different and unique, just like we all do in real life! A far cry from many superhero comics with identical body types with slightly different costumes. Even in uniform they avoid uniformity. Also Rocha’s commanding ability to draw the tech associated with a branch as advanced as the air force, especially a future air force, is fantastic. Everything looks researched, plausible and highly desirable. And at the end of the issue, she even throws in a map, which as everyone knows, is nerd candy.

            After issue 1 I want issue 2 and as an almost exclusive trade-waiter that is saying something. Sure this book may be designed especially to titillate me, but I’m willing to be you’ll find your own aspect to enjoy. Within comics the genre of post-modern warfare is practically nonexistent so let’s all pitch in to help diversify our medium and enjoy the hell out of it while we do so.