"Gezlinger’s Knot", Book 1: Traveling Rimside Blues
By JG Nair/J. William Myers
Mutant Horse 2011
Review by Lyda Morehouse
The world of Gezlinger’s Knot is nifty, a cool as heck concept and is accompanied by Myer’s strong visuals that evoke a kind of cross between “Blade Runner” and “Road Warrior.”
In a future where we’ve destroyed the ecosystem beyond repair, Earth is now a wasteland riddled with plague and pestilence and freakish mutations. Most of humanity survives in the remaining domed cities, while a few rugged individuals brave the soup of disease looking for clean genetic code to sell to gene tailors who can rebuild extinct animals for fun and profit.
The story starts with Jim Gambol, a gene trader, and because things begin with him one must presume he’s ultimately the hero of this tale. Unfortunately, I learned much more about him in the publicity materials attached to the comic than I did in the first issue. What we see of him in this book has minimal emotional impact. There seems to be a lot of wandering around the rim (another cool concept – a subculture that exists in the maintenance spaces between the dome proper and the outside,) but, otherwise, there’s not a lot in the text to latch on to. I have no sense of what’s at stake for him, or why I should care.
That could be a massive fail, but the last couple chapters follow a free trader (one of the brave/insane souls who venture outside) called Jobeam and his awesome mutant horse, Stogo. (I can’t explain it, but I really loved this horse.) I found myself much more emotionally attached to both of them because they faced an immediate conflict – the dangers of outside. Their section also ended is a startling cliffhanger that left me wanting more, right now!
My only regret is that the first part of the issue was not as strong as the last. However, as a science fiction reader, I can wait. I was given enough of a taste that I can be patient for the story to progress. Thus, the debut issue functions as a successful hook and the good news is that subsequent issues are planned every 1 – 2 months, with a graphic novel compellation when the story is finished.
If episode two delivers Jim Gambol’s conflict and thus, engages the reader in his story, I think “Gezlinger’s Knot” will spin a
marvelously rich, exciting tale.
1 comment:
Comparing the story to "Blade Runner" piqued my interest. Not sure I want to drag through the first part though if there is little motivation to continue reading.
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