City of Dust #2 – Review

By Steve Niles (writer) and Zid and Garrie Gastonny and Brandon Chng (Art)

The Story: Picking up from last issue’s cliffhanger, Phillip Khrome must answer to his superiors, Command One, concerning his handling of a forbidden piece of crime-scene evidence in which contact with warrants capital punishment: a book. During his interrogation, seemingly unrelated events from Krome’s past surface in connection to the murder he was investigating, connecting him to a wider series of events that have been transpiring in the city’s lower levels.  At the end of the story, the members of Command One have a gruesome confrontation with the very real representations of the imaginary, literary, and religious symbols they have sworn to abolish.

The Good: City of Dust is the first Steve Niles comic I have ever read, but I am pretty much sold on the hype surrounding his work. In this comic, he has created a world that could only be described as Blade Runner meets Fables, in the context of a Gothic horror murder mystery. The heavy use of symbolism is employed subtly enough that it doesn’t detract from the story being enjoyed on a simple level, but at the same time, adds depth and even momentum to the way the tale unfolds. Furthermore, the art is beautiful and much more fluid in its story-telling than issue #1.

The-Not-So-Good: I would have liked to seen more development with the cast of Command One. When the first issue left off with their introduction, I expected to learn more about the characters themselves and their team dynamics.  However, the only member of Command One we get to know is “the boss” who’s character is effective, but remains a stereotypical authoritarian foil for Khrone’s growing independence.  My only art complaint is Khromes hair, which looks like a shiny, helmeted version of Norman Osborn’s hairdo when drawn poorly.

Conclusion: This is an all-around great comic that works on many different levels. Like all great stories, it seems that all the different sub-plots are building up to coalesce into the main theme of the story. Watching the mastery in which Niles pulls this off is a thing of beauty.

Grade: A+

– Rob G.

City of Dust #1 – Review

By Steve Niles (story) and Zid (art)

The Story: In the future, the world is ruled by an oppressive government where imagination, stories, and religion are outlawed. Officer Phillip Khrome is an upstanding servant of the law. But when he gets mixed up in the arrest and death of a religious man, the ghosts of his past come back to haunt him. He begins to question whether his use of deadly force was valid or not.

Meanwhile, a series of grizzly and curious murders have begun to plague the city. When officer Khrome’s life intersects with the next murder he discovers something profound that may put his own life and career in harm’s way.

What’s Good: The potential for an excellent storyline is high. We’ve seen stories similar to this, but Steve Niles puts a nice twist on the genre with the addition of a murder mystery. There’s also some monster/horror elements that could ramp up the intrigue as the series progresses.

Zid’s art is breathtaking. The city these people dwell in is incredibly detailed and the story is easy to follow. With all of the scenes taking place at night, it’d be easy to mask a lot of backdrops with darkness. But Zid doesn’t take the easy route. He makes the inner city come to life with detailed store fronts, while the heavy use of fog gives the city a good sense of character. It’d be easy to go the Blade Runner route with a story like this, but Zid avoids the trappings and creates something that stands on its own and not so post-modern. Did I mention he renders some incredible looking women?

What’s Not So Good: As strong as this first issue may be, it’s still a story we’ve been before many times. Despite my enjoyment, some might be too fatigued with this type of story.

Conclusion: It’s been a while since I’ve read a Steve Niles book and boy, have I missed him. City of Dust’s debut issue does not disappoint. Like many of Radical’s other titles this book echos the near perfect marriage between story and art.

Grade: A-

– J. Montes