Carrie Tupper, Alan Tupper and Havana Nguyen

Genre: Near Future, dystopian, climate change fiction, interpersonal relationships, social change, civil war

Link To Read

The Dust Cover Copy

Two hundred years ago, nearly all the plant-life on Earth suddenly perished.

Now, with the planet a global dustbowl, the remnants of Humanity struggle to rebuild a civilization around the last remaining pockets of fertile cropland. Powerful factions fight for dominion over this precious resource, while the less fortunate scratch out what life they can on the fringes.

Welcome to Earth, 2235.

Kamikaze is a weekly sci-fi comic series about a scrappy package runner, a covert operation, and what happens when they collide in one of the last cities on the planet!

The Scene

Worldbuilding

It's not often that I find a story as well rounded as this one. I don't find myself focusing on the art, the story, or the characterization as the star of the show. Kamikaze is holistic in its skill. Nothing falters. But I'll start with the story.

You could describe this story a lot of ways. The site describes it as 'an animated sci fi drama for grownups' and that's a good synopsis, because this IS for grownups. Not in the usual sense of the term; there's no gratuitous guts and grinding. This really IS for mature audiences; audiences who expect subtlety, deft use of emotional portrayal, and something more than one more Schwarzenegger knockoff. If that's what you want, Kamikaze is it. There's NO expositional paragraphs, no on the nose dialogue trying to get you 'informed' Everything you learn about this world is contextual, and that, to me, is one of the strongest points. You learn as much by what's not said as by what's said, and that takes some skill.

The action scenes are beautiful, but in my opinion the interpersonal scenes with the boss, the landlady, and Father are the real show of skill, because every conversation has an authentic ring. These conversations can be held by real people with real problems. That has me fascinated.

The premise is one we've all got lurking in the back of our heads these days. There's very little arable crop land left, and what there is is jealously guarded. Humanity has returned to a state of wondering where its next meal is coming from, protecting clan turf and trying to survive. Not pretty.

The Crowd

Characterization

The characterization is also a strong point, and when I say characterization, I mean a 360 degree character, each with their own very expressive body language, expressions and movement. And this is where we meet Markesha Nin. She's fast. She's tough. She's also a woman trying to pay the rent, take care of her family, and get ahead in a world with slim chances. She's not 'our heroine'. She's better than that. And the art supports the story every step of the way. Our main character shows so much of what she's feeling in the slump of her shoulders, the tilt of her head, the movement of her arms, that very few words are really necessary, especially when she's in the more intimate scenes talking to her father.

The Lingo

Artwork And Style

Oh, and did I mention THE ART?

THE ART! THE ART!
The palette is rich, rusty and gritty, and from the opening action scene you're captivated by the craftsmanship of the layouts, the backgrounds, and the character poses. There's a strong and constant sense of movement created by well-crafted panels;
a hand grabbing, a body moving, a landing, each exquisitely posed.

The detail, from the texture of a wall that should have been painted a long time back to the grit of concrete and the grain of wood, allows you to sublime any sense of dislocation. The sense of the surrounding world is palpable. You can almost smell the dust in the streets, taste the tang of concrete and dirt. And as I said before, the character body language is invariably spot on.

The Moves

Plot

The story begins on an adrenalin rush, and it never lets up, though it evades the pit trap of becoming just another shoot 'em up extravaganza. You get a strong sense that these are people dying here, people with family and friends, people who will be missed. Death isn't a writer's toy here. It's real. And so is the dismay, agony and difficulty on every side.

Overall Rating

This is one to follow. I know I will!