Books: Wasteland

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Wasteland
Book 1: Cities In Dust
Written by Antony Johnston
Art by Christopher Mitten
2007



Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

Wasteland
Book 2: Shades of God
Written by Antony Johnston
Art by Christopher Mitten
2007



Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

Wasteland
Book 3: Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
Written by Antony Johnston
Art by Christopher Mitten
2008



Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/


Sometimes a book just doesn't connect.

I mean - Wasteland sounds like my perfect cup of tea. Post apocalyptic tribes. Crazy shamans. Mystic powers. Political intrigue. Mysterious secrets. I think I heard someone describe it as a cross between Lost, Deadwood and The Walking Dead: sounds wicked - where do I sign up?

Thing is: the more I read it the more I become convinced that in it's ideal form Wasteland would be a TV show and not a comic book. Part of that is that I found the artwork to be massively scrappy: so much so that I couldn't always tell which character was which and who was talking to who and what exactly was supposed to be happening - which - when you have a large cast of characters who are all up to various types of no-good can make understanding what's going on a little difficult: and if it was live-action - well - actors make that sort of thing ok. Also: there's nothing inherently comic booky about the stuff that happens. I understand that studios don't just hand out their money to anyone that asks - so that if you want epic vistas and giant sets then you need to make your thing a comic or a novel or a radio play (hey - it could happen) if you want to bring your vision to life - but once you've chosen your medium - it would be good if you then make the most of it so that it's more than just a convenient money-saving technique or whatever. And while the knives are out (sorry guys - I realise that this may just be because I've seen and read a lot of this type of stuff): but all the characters just felt a little bit done before - Mad Max Reheated - the mysterious loner with a troubled past, the tough yet kind hearted woman who takes a shine to him, the evil dictator guy with a strange handicap: these are thing that I have seen many many times before (and hey - check out Garth Ennis' Just a Pilgrim for a much more refreshing way of just how to deal with that type of set up).

But judging from the mountains of praise that these books are getting (just look at the back covers) - maybe it's just me.

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Links: Bleeding Cool Interview with Antony Johnston.

Further reading: The Walking Dead, Prophet, Sweet Tooth, Just a Pilgrim, Crossed, The Dark Tower.

All comments welcome.