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It’s more than just Mechs Vs. Monsters in Ram V’s and Evan Cagle’s newest comic book, Dawnrunner, from Dark Horse Comics. Almost 100 years ago a portal opened up over Guatemala and huge beasts now known as the Tetza came through. Now, science meets with sport as humans have built the Iron Kings, huge mechanical modern marvels, to battle the Tetza in gladiatorial combat while simultaneously studying them.
- Written by Ram V
- Illustrated by Evan Cagle
- Colors by Dave Stewart
- Letters by Aditya Bidikar
A Good Hook and Starting Strong
The first page immediately grabbed my attention. A full page panel depicting a beautiful, lush city inside of a dome, surrounded by walls so vast that we can only see a small portion of them. The portion we see is thick and heavily secured. Flying above the dome is a ship I would describe as something like The Samson rotorwing ships from Avatar (2005). Right above it was a simple introduction:
“Ninety-Six years ago, a stable schwarzschild Bridge manifested in the airspace over guatemala, and the tetza came through.”
-From Dawnrunners #1 by Ram V (Dark Horse Comics)
This really felt like some of the all time great opening lines from classic novels. It was just a mere sentence that established the premise and hooked me. With the beautiful panel underneath and a few more sentences below, the setting and history were in place and it was off to the races!
The Key Players in Dawnrunner
Anita Marr is an Iron King Pilot, and a fairly popular one too, maybe the best in the world. We open the book on a training montage of Anita as a radio broadcaster sings her praises, hyping up a coming event in which Anita will be piloting the newest and most technologically advanced Iron King, The Dawnrunner. The montage ends with a huge, beautifully striking, full two page title spread with Anita and the shadow of the huge Iron King in the background.
***Minor Spoilers Ahead***
Next we are introduced to Andro Lestern, who obviously holds a lot of power in the Cordon company that develops and builds the Iron Kings. We get a conversation between he and Murali, a scientist that studies the Tetza. Murali warns that Andro is killing the Tetza too fast for him study and analyze the creatures. It’s clear from the conversation that Andro is annoyed by the lecture and is really only in this for the money and power. He makes it clear that allowing Murali to study the Tetza is merely for company PR.
When Anita arrives to the compound for the test, we’re introduced to Xander. Xander is confrontational, revealing to us that he is a rival and obviously jealous of Anita’s success. There is some fantastic dialogue between the two here, making it clear that Anita isn’t short on wit, nor confidence. Neither are willing to back down until Anita’s friend and colleague intervenes.
Story and Art For The Science Fiction Fan
From this point on the book takes us to some incredible places. Ram V focuses in on the psychology of Anita and her true feelings about the Iron Kings and why people like the sport of fighting the Tetza. Simultaneously, he weaves in Andro Lestern’s Dawnrunner presentation to some very wealthy and seemingly important guests. This whole segment is the meat of the book. It’s fascinating, deep, and gives so much background, all while seamlessly transitioning back and forth, keeping the momentum and the pacing on schedule. It never lags or feels like a boring lore dump, yet a riveting story that had its hooks in me.
Then comes the moment of truth. The Tetza has been agitated by Cordon forces and the Dawnrunner is activated. Evangelion fans will appreciated the launch, design, and mechanics of The Dawnrunner. It’s a similar design and set up that had me giddy with glee. It’s not just Evangelion that Ram V and Evan Cagle are pulling reference from. Gundham influences are clearly seen in the art and the fight with the Tetza has shades of Pacific Rim. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not a rip off of those things, yet a beautiful homage to these concepts and art, but in unison with a fresh story.
What is The Dawnrunner Really?
The final act of the book sees and interesting development. The Dawnrunner malfunctions, and Anita relives visions from the past. A man, a soldier by the name of Ichiro Takeda seems lost in the aftermath of a massive battles, in a city laid to waste. A gargantuan skeleton hints that this was probably the initial encounter with the Tetza. Why is Anita sharing memories with this man? How is the Dawnrunner projecting these images upon her?
Art As Beautiful As The Sunrise
The art in this book is without a doubt breathtaking. Cagle’s illustrations are so cinematic and moving. Every panel feels so important. I found myself unable to take my eyes off of Anita and Andros. The detail in which Cagle goes to drawing the scenes in which Anita is preparing for the fight and entering The Dawnrunner is nothing short of masterful. Every wire, every tube, every piece of machinery is painstakingly drawn and brought to life. It all makes more since once you realize that Cagle has worked on comics for Dune and The Witcher. The science fiction designs are reminiscent of films like Dune, Aliens, Pacific Rim, and Avatar. The design of the Tetza and the debris inside the arena immediately gave me feelings of a fantasy setting, much like The Witcher.
The illustrations could stand on their own, but it’s the colors from Dave Stewart that bring it all to life. With a title like “The Dawnrunner”, it’s awesome that Stewart would use colors relating to just such a thing. Oranges, yellows, pinks, purples, and reds dominate the palette. When it comes to the interior of the Mech and the private life of Andro, a colder set of colors dominate. I love going back and forth between them all, showing a contrast and depth to the world, and in relation the story.
Everything points to 10/10
I know it’s just the first issue, but I honestly believe that this story has “comic book of the year” type of potential. I know that’s a lot of hype to attach to something that’s only begun, but I’m convinced that this is going to be special! In a year where Dune is spreading a yearning for science fiction like wild fire, this scratches that itch in a way that some of the great Sci-Fi movies do. I found myself wanting a soundtrack to listen to as I was reading. Ram V continues to hit the mark and is on a hot streak right now. He has created an epic world, with an epic story that isn’t just shiny and surface level. It’s got so much depth without being too dense, and the art concepts make it awe inspiring. As great as this story is, it’s taken to an S tier thanks to Evan Cagle, Dave Stewart, and Aditya Bidikar. I want to read the whole series right now, but I guess I’ll just have to be patient.
