Review - Telikos Protocol #1

It'd be nice if there was a science fiction story where the human race actually has a chance. Instead, we get story after story of robots, aliens and whatever other calamities await us. It's no different in Telikos Protocol #1 from Vanquish Interactive.

The first issue is written by Peter Cooper, with art by Adam Burn and letters by Justin Korthof.

The future of humanity isn't faring too well in Telikos Protocol #1. Food is rationed, cannons have been set up in the atmosphere to stop incoming asteroids and the people are not pleased with the martial law imposed. There are scientists who are working feverishly to find a way to better the lives of humanity, but things aren't going too well.

Enter Forrester and Goldstein as the two main characters, a pair of soldiers who also double as a couple. They were enjoying a day off until things went off the rails, prompting them to head deep into their base in search of Dr. John Santilli, one of the aforementioned men working to improve life. Since this is an ongoing science fiction series, it's safe to say the issue doesn't end with humanity better off and Dr. Santilli saved.

Cooper doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel here as far story goes. As mentioned earlier, most science fiction stories follow a fairly standard formula. That's not a knock against Cooper. In fact, the story is actually interesting and provides quite a bit of drama to set up the series going forward.

There is little in the way of character development though. Outside of Forrester and Goldstein, few others really get much of a chance to show anything other than necessary actions. There's another character who's the typical hothead Alpha male and Dr. Santilli is fairly calm (despite the awareness that things are getting bad). It's likely they're somewhat jaded in the world of Telikos Protocol, considering they've already been through so much as it is.

Burn's art will be the draw for the first issue. This is a photorealistic book and it really, really makes the book that much better. Sci-fi worlds are difficult to present in comics sometimes, but Burns does so exceedingly well here. The style allows for the dystopian feel of the society they live in to shine through, really hitting home the point that things are bleak for humanity.

Telikos Protocol #1 is an interesting first issue. It's setting the groundwork for what could be a great story and the art is stunning. If future issues spend a bit more time with the characters and give the reader a bit more context for the state of humanity as it stands, it'll go a long way to making the comic even better.

Telikos Protocol #1 is available now.

$0.99 / £0.49 – Prelude (first 14 pgs)
Amazon – Graphic.ly – iTunes

$3.99 / £2.55 – Issue One – Digital
Amazon

$?.?? – Issue One – Print
Coming soon to Amazon!

$4.99 – Graphicly (for panel-to-panel viewing mode) -  $0.99 prelude and issue 1 and issue #1.

Kickstarter Link (Hardback / Softback / Specials)