Brass Sun #1 (2000 AD)

CREDIT: 2000 AD

Rating: 4.5/5 – A Fascinating World Rich with Politics and Intrigue.
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall.

Brass Sun is set on a world gripped by cold and ruled by the Orthodoxy, a religious order that advocates worship of the workings that make up a clockwork solar system known as the Orrery:

“Praise be to the Cog and the Wheel of worlds upon which our fate and fortunes are bound, from mewling babe unto our grey dotage.  Be as unremitting as the Gear and the Ratchet and the Cam and remain resolute in your belief.”

The world of Brass Sun is fascinatingly dense and this first issue is packed from cover to cover with character, world building, politics, intrigue, lore, action…  I certainly got my money’s worth from this issue.  Writer Ian Edginton (Hinterkind) crammed more between these covers than 2 or 3 issues of a lot of other comics I’ve read, the trick being that it did not feel crammed or rushed.  Edginton moved the story from initial setup through two additional plot points that would have been the closing cliffhanger moment of comics by other writers and on to even more plot development before finally ending on a note that came out of the blue yet made perfect sense in the context of the world that was deftly built in this issue.

The art by I.N.J. Culbard (New Deadwardians) was a perfect match for the story and did an excellent job of setting the tone for the world.  His style is all clean, clear lines that is simple and at the same time extremely expressive.  The emotion Culbard can convey in an expression made up of a minimal set of lines, all perfectly arranged is stunning.

I was pulled into the world of Brass Sun and carried along by the art and story until I hit the final page, left craving more and astonished that so much had happened.   I’ll definitely be back for more and I understand the heaps of praise that are regularly piled onto 2000 AD (which is where this was originally presented).  If you didn’t experience this when it was originally presented in 2000 AD, take the opportunity provided by this comic to immerse yourself in the world of Brass Sun.  If you’re like me you’ll be glad you did.

Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
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