Of Thunder & Lightning

by Kimberly Wang

Debut author Kimberly Wang crafts a thrilling two-tone sci-fi graphic novel, growing the seeds of hope from the gravel of apocalypse.

To fight is to live, to fight is to die, to fight is to become something unknown.

In a world where pop media meets military power, two idol-supersoldiers are locked in a world-ending conflict on behalf of their corporate nations. Battles blast across a dying land, both sides convinced of their own righteousness. Ragnarok looms on the horizon. Yet Magni and Dimo--young icons created for the sole purpose of eliminating the other--find their closest reflection in their opposite. Now, completing their mission means destroying the one who understands them most.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, LGBT, Romance, Dystopia, Queer

80 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2023

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Aren’t we all just cogs in the apocalypse machine?’

In a war-torn future where two rival CEOs battle for domination, two heroines are pitted against each other in televised gladiator combat to entertain the masses and control the public narrative that the global war is in response two the battle between these two “gods.” Kimberly Wang’s Of Thunder & Lightning is a brief but powerful little satirical graphic novel that takes dead aim at corporate propaganda. Robot “gods” Magni and Dimo have been created for the sole purpose of fighting each other, though their televised battles are highly coordinated with quippy catch phrases and continuity requirements. The battles hurt, but as they exist only for pain and proliferating propaganda, they’ve come to find meaning in their shared battles and take pleasure in that unity with one another. With wonderful two-tone art, an apocalyptic setting and a plotline that feels like a video game or battle-robot anime, Of Thunder & Lightning is a fun and thoughtful satire.

I really enjoy the sharp critiques of corporate propaganda and disaster capitalism here, with this dying world wrapped up in the narrative of fighting gods to distract them from the widespread horrors of global warfare and doom. There’s a lot of really interesting and heady ideas going on, particularly in the abstract middle segment that probes questions like deciding between a human-like computer and a computer-like human or if the AI soldiers dying for their corporation have an afterlife. The story is quite short and abstract, letting the reader fill in a lot of the gaps with their own imagination which I really appreciate, though I wish this had a little more space to build the world in order to help ground the ideas a little more. It also wraps up very quickly, but was altogether satisfying.

I’ve quite enjoyed the graphic novels and comics coming from Silver Sprocket and Of Thunder & Lighting is another great little work. They have some really wonderful and edgy works that tend towards sharp satire and social criticisms while also being very LGBTQ+ forward. Oh yea, the AI battle-robots here are gay. It’s great. I hope to read more from Kimberly Wang in the future. But also, if you were to replace all your organs and brain one by one with robotic AI tech, would you still be you?

3.5/5

‘The end of the world came slowly. And then all at once.’

[hope h. · Rating 4 out of 5]

society won't stop making these lesbians fight each other to death. unfortunately for society, THAT'S WHAT THESE LESBIANS ARE INTO.

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, meta deconstruction of battle-robot manga; it plays with POV, with format, and theme. Two corporate nations struggle for dominance in a ruined world. Each spreads propaganda about the other; each has developed a pop-star like AI robot avatar, which battle each other in televised combat with custom costumes and snappy catch phrases. These robots, Magni and Dimo, exist only to destroy each other, but also find in each other their only equal. They both savor their violent encounters, but both are pushed by their creators and handlers to destroy the other. The story is half devastating elegance, half tongue-in-cheek satire. This title is most easily available through the publisher's website and I highly recommend it.

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

2025 reads: 174/300

in a world where pop culture meets military power, two idol-super soldiers, magni and dimo, are locked in a world-ending conflict. though each was created to destroy the other, they begin to realize that completing their mission means destroying the one who understands them most.

this was an interesting concept but definitely had room to grow. i think i would have enjoyed it more had it been better fleshed out, as it was only 80 pages. with that said, i still did mostly enjoy it. the art was so cool. i don’t read many two-tone graphic novels, but i really enjoyed seeing how the artist used just two colors throughout this book. i’d be interested in more from this artist/author.

[han · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super beautiful and creative style and I absolutely loved the characters and their development. I wish I had gotten a better understanding of the world and the consequences of the characters’ decisions, even just a few more pages. It was really cool and slick, and I definitely felt the relationship between the two MCs. Loved the three colored palate.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The colors and the artstyle were amazing and I fell in love with it and the storytelling. My only issue it that I felt like I was missing something important and it was a little confusing because of it

[Yo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pouah que dire....
À lire absolument !

Une pépite, l'histoire est marquante et d'autant plus d'actualité, le travail du dessin et surtout des couleurs est majestueux.
C'est si rapide a lire que je n'ai pas eu le temps de retrouver mon souffle des premières pages que je le re-perd avant la fin.

Une gemme de création, merci

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Textbook doomed yuri

[g · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible news this just rewrote my brain chemistry. to be made for an eternal war, locked in ceaseless battle. your only purpose by design and holy decree is nothing more than each other. when you win, what's left if she's gone? oh these lesbians are everything.

[goodreed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visually a 4.5, but the storytelling was around a 3. Fun concept, but lacking in plot and emotional depth. This artist would probably do well working with a team, and this idea would probably make a killer animated series.

[Rebecca Turk · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so good, made for one purpose, feeling nothing when that purpose has been accomplished, constantly fighting the same fight over and over forever

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations and energy here are crazy I love it!! very fun worldbuilding too

[Lem · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly just felt like concepts of a story? I mean to be fair I purchased this book solely for the art (which is really great, I love the extra concept art) but it was waaaay too short for the premise set by the synopsis

[Gabriel Mauel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bleeds a dynamic and striking style, wish it was a little longer.

[Kyle Yadlosky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's quick and beautiful. Really cool mix of anime, video game, and mythology vibes. It's short so I get it, but I do wish all the themes weren't just said out loud and we had more time to plunge into the atmosphere of the world.

[naviya · Rating 4 out of 5]

- gay robots! gay robot lesbian enemies/rivals!
- the illustrations are sooo good holy shit and the neon-ish color palette!!
- the ending too HAHAHAHAH 😭😭

[Daryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was absolutely beautifully illustrated. The dual tones of the black and pink were incredibly striking along with great character design. I think this was a great satire on a sort of shonen battle/gundham type of genre, and an interesting look at two machines made by equally awful empires, made to destroy one another’s worlds, yet finding the greatest joy and purpose through beating one another—and not really caring for their worlds. I thought this was super intriguing as a premise and honestly just wanted more. I wanted some parts in Dimo’s perspective, and I wanted even more from Magni—I wanted to see her and Dimo’s first meeting, how their obsession/love for one another formed. Honestly I give this a 3/3.5 star rating not because there was much wrong with what was given, just that there was such a want in me for more. This world and the dynamic between the murder-lesbian robots is a wonderful baseline for an extended story, should the author choose to expand this world.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I randomly picked up a copy of this comic after finding it on a little shelf in the very back of a Philly comic shop. This story was interesting. Two girls who are a mix of magical girl and super soldier duke it out to win for the corporate-run nations that they fight for. But the girls are nothing like their globally broadcasted personas, and both hide something darker. This story was so interesting and had great concepts, but it fell a little bit short for me. If there had been just a smidge more world-building or more explanation of how the idol battles came to be, it would have given more weight to this. This honestly would translate into a great animated series, but also with a little bit more backstory. I absolutely ADORED the art, and was what drew me to it in the shop. The two-tone colors and scratchy lines are so good.

[Fae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is STUNNING. The two main characters find common ground in passion-fueled righteous fury that only becomes apparent at the cost of themselves and the systems that put them in place.

There are additional short stories on the author’s website for those wanting a bit more about the world, I know I did, but I’m also okay not knowing every detail. Omission kinds of lends itself into the backstory and allows you to make inferences and connections yourself.

I’m going to be thinking about this one for a bit.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really a pretty ambitious book, and Wang deserved more pages to fully realize that ambition. The concept is excellent, some of the writing is lovely, I am very much here for the art, and I loved the classic anime homages, but it doesn't quite cohere. It doesn't feel like there's really an arc--the story ends where it begins more or less, at least emotionally. I think with more time and space this could've been really amazing; as is it's just pretty neat. Still, Wang is definitely a creator to watch.

[Axelmania · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this along with Sucker and Pixels of You in an attempt to find western comics that resemble yuri, I'm coming to realize the comics industry culture here is just too different from Japan's for that to ever be achieved. They all feel like they need a grand theme to anchor their comic. And this one is definitely is the weakest for it, providing no developed characters to express that theme. It's fun, though. I need to accept these comics for what they are.

[Rebecca Dawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
I really love this as an homage to mecha/ magical girl anime. I loved this comic, so much so that I can’t think of anything to critique. It’s short but in way that’s not rushed. It reads like a shot of espresso, a strong punch of an idea yet the art makes me want to linger on each panel. I would love to see it expanded but at the same time it doesn’t need to be. It’s hard for me to say it’s perfect (5 stars) I think largely because it is so short but I wouldn’t change a thing.

[Caroline Manley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got big "This Is How You Lose the Time War" vibes from this - android lesbians destined to fight forever but also be deeply in love with each other? LET'S FUCKING GO. Not as fleshed out as "Time War" of course due to its much shorter length, but still wonderful. Visually almost difficult to look at due to its color palette, which is absolutely a positive in my book! A couple panels in here really got me - that one of Magni smiling (you know the one) gave me chills. Good shit!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. The limited 3-color palette is what really caught my eye about this book. It's a quick read, not too many pages and the plot doesn't get into much detail, only enough to layout the key points of the setting. I'm having trouble explaining this, but the whole time I read it I felt like it was a French/Japanese comic. Which is neither a complaint or a compliment, just sort of a vibe. Overall though I enjoyed it! Would love to see more by this author.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pop star robots wage war for their corporations, finding peace and belonging only in their fights against each other but knowing the only way to keep that up is to continue fighting over and over. Gorgeous artwork, I love how each of the two can be seen as 'good' from their side or 'evil' from the other as whoever they are is always being manipulated by the powers that be.

[Amelia (comics) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art style, probably my fav indie read of the year. This checked a lot of boxes for me. Lots of striking little and big moments. A tight short story effectively told. Lots of tension in such a short format! Fans of This is How You Lose the Time War would have a good time with this. As a magical girl & battle anime fan I ate it up. The physical copy is gorgeous.

[Amber Duan · Rating 4 out of 5]

fwahhh this book is so gorgeous!! idk how this was printed but the pinkish red is fluorescent in a way that reminds me of riso ink and it looks AMAZING against black. kimberly wang's creative choices are absolutely *stellar!* could wax poetic about their artistic genius all day but besides that, this comic was like a mix of sailor moon, revolutionary girl utena, and mecha which was so fun to see

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take where two opposing military power creates two idol soldiers to fight for their respective sides in a rise for power. However, it would have been more interesting to explore the lore of both sides and a longer ending that is fulfilling.

Besides that, the art style and the two-tone color palette are amazing and consistent throughout!

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

The summary sounded so interesting and then I saw that it was only 80 pages. For such a descriptive summary, this book should have been three times that long. I didn’t really feel as though there was a plot to it, it was just a concept of a larger story. Maybe this author will expand upon the story at some point. I did like the style of illustration of this graphic novel!

[Worm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE the concept of this comic. While the full story didn't fully feel fleshed out, the art and the concept were fantastic. I just wish there was more- more world building of an apocalyptic war torn society(s), the dubious morality of making "magical girls", and more "romance"- I really wish we had longer to spend with the characters to see their "buildup" and subsequent "downfall".