Broken Frontier

James Turner throws the reader into vastly different worlds that are linked by their wit, social commentary and his geometrical art. Whether it is a story of a distant future ruled by a warrior race or the philosophical musings of a chair, he brings out humanity in his creations and chooses to display it with all of its warts.

The title story is a spoof on politics as usual.  In the 29th century, Crown Prince Zing is given the reins of his father’s empire.  The Ions have been known for their warmongering, but this new ruler would rather just be a rock star and play video games.  When a friend suggests a change in the course of the nation, Zing finds himself the target from a cabal of generals who want things to remain as they are.

Along the way, Turner seems to skewer the Bush Administration, make fun of overly idealistic politicians, and even imply that unions may not always have the needs of the general public at heart.  It is political satire on an impressive scale that is made more powerful by placing all sides on equal footing.  This allows the author to tickle the funny bone of any reader who is able to set aside their own ego.

It is also an interesting story.  The best science fiction works because it allows the human condition to show through the aliens and spaceships.  Touching on archetypal templates, Turner uses the familiar to comfort the reader.  It works much the same way as his humor.  Despite the absurdity or the fantastical, the truth of the work is its greatest asset.  Turner walks both lines with skill and ease.  This allows him to create a thought provoking story that is also highly entertaining.  Think Dr. Strangelove meets Dune.

The thematic elements of the eponymous story run through the other stories.  One is set in Hell, one is on a zeppelin of a steam punk corporation, and one is the inner monologue of a normal house hold object.  Regardless of characters or setting, Turner holds the mirror up to the reader’s face and gets them to laugh all the while thinking about the implications of what he is saying about the cultural status quo.

Turner’s art is notedly angular.  Either a computer or drafting equipment is used to create the perfect circles and measured lines of the book.  With a brilliant grey scale and a hint of the art deco aesthetic, he is able to give the flat page depth.  More importantly, he gives charm to the otherwise artificial populace of his tales.  It is a unique look, you will find nothing like it on the stands of your local comic shop.

However, this by no means a perfect book.  There are factoids at the bottom of Warlord of Io.  While interesting, they break the natural flow of the strip.  While it is possible that it is intentional allowing the reader to feel the attention disorder that obviously plagues Zing, it is poor choice.  It is a shallow trick that abruptly halts the rhythm of the piece.  Most writers would kill for their work to progress so freely making it very odd to detract from it.

This is a work that needs the praise, but more importantly, it needs the support.  The comic news has been abuzz this past week with word that Diamond has decided not to carry the future volumes of the book.  A planned mini-series is in jeopardy.  While it certainly caught the eye of this reader when it was in previews, not enough shops ordered it to make it a profitable venture for the comic distributor.  Sure, it may live on in the web or some smaller distributor, but wouldn’t be cool if enough people demanded this one shot from their shops that Diamond had to rescind their decision?  The book is unusual and exemplary, it deserves to be sought out, so get your shop to order you a copy of Warlord of Io, so that Zing might live to fight another day!