Broken Frontier

Neozoic was one of the first series from new publisher Red 5, back in late 2007. Since then, the publisher has created further success with series like Atomic Robo and Abyss. Neozoic is where it began though, and the 8 issue mini-series is now collected in Trade Paperback form.

Written by Red 5 co-founder Paul Ens with art by J. Korim, Neozoic presents a world strangely different from our own. Due to the dinosaur-killing meteor hitting the moon instead of the earth, humans and dinosaurs now share the same planet. A fantastic premise that may conjure images of Planet of the Apes for some, Neozoic distances itself by crafting an intriguing world run by humans who have learnt to adapt and survive over the millennia, as they forge a basic world in which they’re surrounded by a variety of toothy beasts.

Lilli Murko is the protagonist and leader of the Donti Squad of the Predator Defense League, a team trained to keep dinosaurs from developing a taste for human snacks. Set primarily inside and in the lands around Monanti City, the series follows Lilli and her squad as they investigate recent erratic behaviour of the ancient beasts, as well as the discovery of a girl called Milo, from an underground tribe knows as the Talpid.

When Lilli drops off the lonely girl to her devout father and sister, the dinosaurs gather on Monanti City and start attacking, with the Talpid warriors led by Master Baas close behind, seeking to claim the city as their own by destroying the royal family. Lilli wants the girl safe, but is pretty much the only one, until she and wall maker Pax flee the city for the forest and find an ancient city filled with outcasts, and discover Milo’s telepathic abilities. As more facts about both races are uncovered, enemies become friends and friends become enemies, and battles ensue between men and monsters, and men and men. And women.

Imagine if Peter Jackson had made a Mad Max sequel after Lord of the Rings, and then Steven Spielberg told him to replace the cars with dinosaurs. That’s Neozoic. The action scenes are laid out on the page with great gusto and the blood flows freely. With some great turns this tale allows everyone to become the enemy at some point. It’s not just the huge salivating beasts that are the main concern. Every character has to watch their back.

This is a great series and one that easily entices you into its fantastic world. The characters are all distinctive enough, with real motivations, and there is no barbarian talk. Lilli is obviously the star of the show (and it’s great to see an Asian female protagonist) but her team-mates and family members aren’t cardboard cut outs. Even with the brief page time some of them receive, they are treated with great care by Ens.

Korim’s costume designs are very creative and practical in this stripped back existence, and the artist makes every battle scene come alive with frantic energy. Jessie Lam’s nuanced colouring really helps sell the setting too. The whole creative team sell the setting well in fact, with its cratered moon and use of words like Triety instead of God, and dinosaur types with names like amido, nychee and tigras, instead of what we’d refer to as whatever-saurus. It’s a world just out of reach with its great alternate history platform.

Fans of fully realised fantasy worlds and hard core action must sink their fangs in to the 216 page Neozoic TPB. It’s tasty and will leave you hungry for more. And since this is only Volume 1, you may just be in luck.