Broken Frontier

The Second Ice Age is here, and now the world struggles to pick up the pieces in a post-apocalyptic chronicle of how ordinary people handle the end of everything.

Originally appearing as a single regular-sized issue from Ronin Studios called Wasteland, Arcana Studios has since picked up and repackaged the tale—along with three additional all-new chapters—as the 100-page graphic novel Frozen Wasteland.   The book follows the exploits of a small army contingent as they move from one U.S. locale to the next, surveying the damage done and the new order of civilization left in the wake of nature gone awry.  Each member has left behind their life from before; family, friends, and lovers lost to the chaos of civilization’s downfall, though who now, in each chapter, return for a number of reunions ranging from the tragic to the treacherous.

Kieran Murphy (writer of the independently published Burnt Souls graphic novel) steps into the mainstream spotlight with this book, giving it his all for four stand-alone tales.  The book maintains an episodic format, and even a general formula for each of the installments, ultimately embracing a syndicated animation aesthetic, a sensibility wholly backed by the crystal-clear quality of art by newcomer José Agusto Cano (who I believe handled the art chores on the third issue of Image’s most recent The Pact mini-series, and now this).

Fans of World War Z and Oni Press’ Wasteland will find everything they love about those stories situated in Frozen Wasteland, though FW isn’t as grim as the former or as plot-heavy as the latter.  Rather, Murphy and Cano have cobbled together a survivalist scenario as easy to enter as it is to leave, a vista without monsters or epic rhyme or reason, but instead a highly entertaining “what if…?” that can be visited and explored as both the creators and readers see fit.

It begins with “Cold Heart,” a tale that sends our protagonists to Los Angeles to investigate a rogue weapons-hording organization, whose activities foment a growing anarchy within the city.  But the leader of the rogue battalion has ties to one of the army men, and soon the bonds of the past are tested against the reality of the present.  The story sets the tone and establishes the primary themes of the book, and largely proves the most affecting of the lot.  An ironic result as it’s also the most understated and minimalist in execution, though perhaps it’s precisely because of this—less is said, and so more is felt.

Second comes “The Cult,” which is by far the most creative of the four, featuring a truly oddball gathering whose figureheads’ motives are less than what they seem, and when one of our heroes prove to have familial relations with one of the leaders, a similar predicament as that of the first story is confronted yet again.  A semi-farcical look at faith and organized religion via the lens of FW’s post-disaster milieu.

Second-to-last is “Frozen Seas,” my personal favorite due to its at-sea setting, focus on modern-day piracy, complex plot, and kick-ass action sequences.  The story is the sole one that puts aside all sentimentality and instead examines the dangerous difference between being naïve in the old world and naïve in the current one.  And then we come to the end:

“Frozen Wasteland,” the story that was, in truth, the original single-issue release form years earlier, wherein Major Carson (the commanding head of our leading men and women) sets off to rescue his son from a maximum security prison, where said son currently reigns as the top brawler inside an underground fighting circuit.  This is perhaps the most classic of the four stories, and it’s well-told, though ultimately too brief to do it justice, and the resolution comes far too abruptly considering its dense moral subject matter.

Overall, at 100 pages and a price tag of only $9.95, Frozen Wasteland is very much worth it.  Murphy and Cano are a talented duo, and the comic looks sharp and the stories are excellent.  Don’t come looking for anything dour or ostentatious—FW is slice-of-life vignettes that just happen to be action-oriented and set in a literal frozen wasteland.  Yet while the setting is bleak, and the book is far from what anyone would call “uplifting,” it’s deep-down a look at survival on the emotional level, rather than the physical.  It’s a heartfelt effort and one smooth read: highly recommended to anyone looking for a self-contained, solid, classic comic.

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Frozen Wasteland hits comic stores November 28^th, 2007.  For ordering information, go to: http://www.arcanacomics.com/comicdisplay.php?id=51