 |
| Armorclads #1 Pre-Order Cover by Kael Ngu |
In Armorclads #1, young Peris (pictured in Kael Ngu's cover) leads a group of miners on the planet Xeru. They drill for a substance called the Pure, which is essential to the planet Alpharon. Peris (Miner 391) and his fellow miners are genetically engineered beings. Perhaps they're born as teens or young adults. All writers J. J. O'Connor and Brian Buccellato tell us is that they have youthful high spirits, and are not old enough to drink.
Despite the importance of the mining operation, the planet Xeru is not developed. No citizens of Alpharon have settled here to homestead. It is an untamed world, with many dangers aside from the difficult terrain.
While the miners extract the Pure, soldiers must accompany the rare substance between the extraction site and the base. The miners receive a token escort as they travel between the base and the worksite. The rest of the soldiers guard each convoy.
Those guarding each convoy seem to outnumber the miners who extract the rare substance.
Before they depart for each work shift, and upon their return, a prerecorded message reminds the miners that if they work hard, one day they can earn lives for themselves on Alpharon. No specific term of service--which of course they didn't agree to, as they were born to be miners--is mentioned. They are only given the vague promise that after twenty years of hard labor, perhaps they can earn lives of their own.
Yet the soldiers treat the miners like drill sergeants in a perpetual drill camp. While the soldiers hear the ritual promises, their opinion of the miners clearly differs from the broadcaster.
The miners call each other by name. But to the soldiers, they're only numbers.
Penciler Manuel Garcia and inker Raul Fernandez show us the engineering marvels that are the powerful mech suits, and how the soldiers' armor differs from the miners' Ironclad suits. They show us how the Alpharon mission to this hostile world has adapted the cave system in which the miners extract the Pure, and how the miners must load the sealed containers onto the transport vehicles.
Rex Lokus' soft pastels bring out the humanity of the workers, the wildness of Xeru, and (as you will see in the issue), the terrifying dangers they face. Dave Sharpe's letters and sound effects help us hear the propaganda, the rivalry, and the urgency of Alpharon's desperate struggle to supply their ongoing interstellar war.
Sam (Miner 357) refers to the bugs, which prevent Xeru from being settled. Unlike the soldiers, the miners don't carry guns. But the tools they use for extracting the Pure, and loading the containers onto their transports, can also be used for defense.
Sam demonstrates a lot of individuality, perhaps more than is good for him. His friend Alec agrees with Sergeant Troy that he should concentrate on his work, and not on fantasies of drinking alcohol, gaining his freedom, or wiping out the bugs.
Wiping out the bugs, after all, aren't the miners' job.
Everything will change in this issue. Events will transform the miners' rigidly proscribed lives. Thankfully, while the issue ends on a cliffhanger, Valiant Entertainment provides a few Black and White preview pages for Armorclads #2.
Oh, and if you're curious about those God Suits that Sam mentions...
 |
| Armorclads #1 Cover A by Bagus Hutomo |
Armorclads #1 reveals a multilayered society. Technology and slavery fund perpetual wars. Yet change is coming. How it will affect the genetically engineered miners, or Ironclads, we must wait and see.
I never rate comics in my reviews. Yet I feel so drawn into this entrancing story that I can easily give Armorclads #1 Five Stars, 10/10, or an A+. If Valiant can maintain this level of storytelling in successive issues, the upheaval on Xeru might not be the only revolution that rocks the comics world.
Dragon Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment