Children of the Fall
Writer: Wayne T. Young
Artist/ Colorer/ Letterer: Wayne T. Young
Gallery Artists: Dave Dorman, Liam Sharp, David Mack
Arcana Studios
80 pages
September, 2017
Cover Price: $14.95

Mankind has fallen and what is left is a warring, violent wasteland. Lin and her sister Kay, daughters of one of the most powerful warlords, are trying to make their way to Valhalla, when they encounter a gunfighter. The gunfighter is charged with bringing her back to her father, the last place Lin wants to go after her mother’s death, but when they are attacked and they save each other, there are a few surprises soon revealed.

More on Children of the Fall, the debut graphic novel by Wayne T. Young below.

What I particularly like about the art in Children of the Fall, is that it is not hindered by frame. Sometimes there is no frame, and in some cases, the characters are trying to climb out of the frame, almost like they are breaking out of the book. The frame essentially, conforms to the characters instead of the characters being held within. The thick outlines complement the starkness of the reality, and the sporadic use of bright color seems to symbolize the splashes of hope in an otherwise bleak world.

I know, I know. The protagonist’s outfit is way too sexy and way too unreliable to be an apocalypse outfit. But it definitely was appealing to the eye. The amount of unconcern at nudity seemed realistic, however. Who cares about what you are wearing after civilization falls? The non-reactions (okay, slight reaction) of the men who encountered her was refreshing. She was not the object of ogling or demeaned in any way.

The frames (or non-frames) outweigh the words, and although a quick read, you will find yourself looking back to admire a well-played sequence. This book is recommended for sure, though I must warn you… you will feel the need for the next one as it feels it only touches the tip of the story.

Take a look at this intriguing prologue:

“If you won’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”

And, man, our fall was fast. Civil societies were like any other eco-systems — little things could lead to a cascade effect. Fossil fuels, climate change, too many people… the tipping point that brought us to our knees is still widely debated. In less than ten short years… rule of law was replaced with a survival of the fittest. Cities fell, people fled… and if you had someplace you were fleeing to, well, you were one of the fortunate ones.

A group of select scientists and forward thinkers had seen The Fall coming long before The Tipping Point. Together, they pooled their collective minds and resources into creating a new, renewable, sustainable energy source — Yggdrasil. But the fruits of their labor did not ripen in time to save mankind… and this beacon of light in a darkened world has since fallen into fable.

Synopsis:

OVERPOPULATION AND FOSSIL FUEL EXHAUSTION HAVE LED TO HUMANITY’S DEMISE…
…leaving the world a violent and chaotic shell of its former self. Amidst the turmoil, Lin Shaw, the eldest daughter of a warlord, has retreated with her younger sister, Kay, to a remote island in Southeast Asia. There, they encounter the enigmatic Gunfighter and, together, the trio must face a treacherous landscape and a dangerous adversary in the hopes of securing safe passage to Valhalla “” mankind’s last sanctuary. Wayne Young has created a vivid world of a possible future that is as unsettling as it is familiar… a story that asks the question, “When your world is a memory, does what you do still matter?”

Children of the Fall premieres at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. Creator, writer, and artist Wayne T. Young will be signing copies at the Arcana Booth 2515 from 10:00am-11:00am PST on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! Children of the Fall is headed to stores this September.

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