Well everyone, I apologize for my recent absence from the review headlines here. While we don’t review games here, it would be accurate to say that
Borderlands and
Dragon Age have been sucking up inordinate amounts of my time. So without further delay I bring you a review of Chapters 1 and 2 of
Titanium Rain by Archaia Comics. Equal parts political viewpoints and philosophy about war, sci-fi nanotechnology, and genetically hacked fighter pilots. There is a little bit of everything in this comic.
It is the year 2032 and China is torn apart in a massive war. The book opens with a scene of a statue of Buddha, which is promptly ripped apart by gunfire. A team of soldiers is pinned down by Jade Empire forces that are led by what look like small mechs, or the combat suits they use in
The Matrix to fight off the machines in the later movies. Enter the pilots that are the focal point of these as the unit calls for air support. Read on for an overview of this 50-page monster comic.
There are three themes that all tie together in this comic. There are flashbacks to the pilots training in the Prometheus Program for the Air Force. There are several REALLY intense in-flight battles. There are some philosophical scenes in between the two which make some interesting philosophical points. The overarching theme to the book seems to be that war is like nature and evolution, necessary to strive for the next great achievement. The theme that is listed out in the beginning of the book “To be alive, is to be at odds with the world” seems to play out on a number of levels.
The essential plot here is that we are following a couple of hotshot pilots as they are introduced to a high level genetic and nano-technology training program. A matrix of nano-robots and other genetic and physical modifications are done to a squadron of pilots to make them super soldiers. The Jade Empire outnumbers the allied forces in this war almost 3 to 1, making soldiers that are better then any normal person very valuable.
We are treated to some Top Gun-esque lines where one of the pilots hits on the doctor injecting him during the treatment. We also get some stereotypical military lines like finding out that it was named Prometheus because when you tell a general “you’ll give’em fire of the the Gods, [their] face lights up like Christmas!” There is quite a bit of the macho military bravado in this comic. Sometimes I feel like they lay it on so thick it almost seems like a cliché and gets a little annoying.
The scenes where the pilots are in the air shifts points of view to show the overlay that the pilots see make the comic. When it switches from a narrator to a description of the feeling an accelerating jet has gets the heart racing. The combat happens as fast as you would expect it to when flying at supersonic speeds. The way that all of the sci-fi physical enhancements are worked in through some cleverly inserted medical illustration adds a touch of color to the otherwise gunmetal gray palette. Of course, gunfire and missiles do that well too.
As we finish, one pilot appears to be down and the other is on the verge of blacking out, despite the best efforts of his enhanced body. The artwork in this almost looks CGI-ish in the way it’s drawn. Incredibly realistic looking people that could almost be photographs of actors in the positions they wanted for the frame are the norm. The military clichés tossed around in this comic annoyed me; however I think that’s probably how it really is. When you face death constantly, I’d imagine you have to keep a morbid/macho sense of humor to keep from going insane.
Where I feel the story really shines is actually with the philosophical stuff. The comic touches on a lot of the moral issues involved with nano-enhancement of people. As the brief conclusion on the final page states, “Is this the ultimate corruption of nature? Or the birth pains of a new chapter in mankind’s evolution?”
If you’ve had your fill of modern or near future warfare tales for the time being, come back to this one when you are ready to rejoin the genre. HOWEVER, If you are a fan of fighter pilots in advanced planes with intense air-to-air and ground-to-air combat, enjoy modern military stories and have cut your teeth on some genetic and physical enhancing sci-fi materials in the past, give this one a look and I think you’ll be entertained.
Well everyone, I apologize for my recent absence from the review headlines here. While we don’t review games here, it would be accurate to say that Borderlands and Dragon Age have been sucking up inordinate amounts of my time. So without further delay I bring you a review of Chapters 1 and 2 of Titanium Rain by Archaia Comics. Equal parts political viewpoints and philosophy about war, sci-fi nanotechnology, and genetically hacked fighter pilots. There is a little bit of everything in this comic.
It is the year 2032 and China is torn apart in a massive war. The book opens with a scene of a statue of Buddha, which is promptly ripped apart by gunfire. A team of soldiers is pinned down by Jade Empire forces that are led by what look like small mechs, or the combat suits they use in The Matrix to fight off the machines in the later movies. Enter the pilots that are the focal point of these as the unit calls for air support. Read on for an overview of this 50-page monster comic.
There are three themes that all tie together in this comic. There are flashbacks to the pilots training in the Prometheus Program for the Air Force. There are several REALLY intense in-flight battles. There are some philosophical scenes in between the two which make some interesting philosophical points. The overarching theme to the book seems to be that war is like nature and evolution, necessary to strive for the next great achievement. The theme that is listed out in the beginning of the book “To be alive, is to be at odds with the world” seems to play out on a number of levels.
The essential plot here is that we are following a couple of hotshot pilots as they are introduced to a high level genetic and nano-technology training program. A matrix of nano-robots and other genetic and physical modifications are done to a squadron of pilots to make them super soldiers. The Jade Empire outnumbers the allied forces in this war almost 3 to 1, making soldiers that are better then any normal person very valuable.
We are treated to some Top Gun-esque lines where one of the pilots hits on the doctor injecting him during the treatment. We also get some stereotypical military lines like finding out that it was named Prometheus because when you tell a general “you’ll give’em fire of the the Gods, [their] face lights up like Christmas!” There is quite a bit of the macho military bravado in this comic. Sometimes I feel like they lay it on so thick it almost seems like a cliché and gets a little annoying.
The scenes where the pilots are in the air shifts points of view to show the overlay that the pilots see make the comic. When it switches from a narrator to a description of the feeling an accelerating jet has gets the heart racing. The combat happens as fast as you would expect it to when flying at supersonic speeds. The way that all of the sci-fi physical enhancements are worked in through some cleverly inserted medical illustration adds a touch of color to the otherwise gunmetal gray palette. Of course, gunfire and missiles do that well too.
As we finish, one pilot appears to be down and the other is on the verge of blacking out, despite the best efforts of his enhanced body. The artwork in this almost looks CGI-ish in the way it’s drawn. Incredibly realistic looking people that could almost be photographs of actors in the positions they wanted for the frame are the norm. The military clichés tossed around in this comic annoyed me; however I think that’s probably how it really is. When you face death constantly, I’d imagine you have to keep a morbid/macho sense of humor to keep from going insane.
Where I feel the story really shines is actually with the philosophical stuff. The comic touches on a lot of the moral issues involved with nano-enhancement of people. As the brief conclusion on the final page states, “Is this the ultimate corruption of nature? Or the birth pains of a new chapter in mankind’s evolution?”
If you’ve had your fill of modern or near future warfare tales for the time being, come back to this one when you are ready to rejoin the genre. HOWEVER, If you are a fan of fighter pilots in advanced planes with intense air-to-air and ground-to-air combat, enjoy modern military stories and have cut your teeth on some genetic and physical enhancing sci-fi materials in the past, give this one a look and I think you’ll be entertained.
This is great!! Thank you for taking the time to read our book.
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