Dissonance, Vol. 1

by Singgih Nugroho, Ryan Cady, Sami Basri (Artist)

In an alternate world of which Earth populated with a powerful human-spirit hybrid called Fantasmen, Folke and Roisia Herviett, two siblings with opposing worldview are challenged to prove their worth to fill their parents leadership in a devious group who secretly run the world. Meanwhile, Seraphim, a Fantasmen warrior guard, is sent to Earth to prevent a catastrophic event from affecting the Earth and its own universe.

From designer Melita Curphy, writer Singgih Nugroho, and featuring art of Sami Basri ( Power Girl, Witchblade ), immerse in a fantasy drama set in a sci-fi world unlike others.

Collects 1-4.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comics Manga

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2018

Reviews

[Alex Sarll · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absymal science-fantasy, drawn in that glossy yet lifeless style one associates with Top Cow*, like a copy of a copy of Greg Land copying Moebius. And the story...oh boy, the story. We open with an expositionary history of the world – and for all that this is generally deprecated as a storytelling technique, I often like it. Alfred Bester's Tiger, Tiger! aka The Stars My Destination has a particularly fine example, but even when it's not at that level, I find it much neater than the risk of 'As you know, Bob...' dialogue. But here, it's really not about keeping the dialogue naturalistic; there's barely a line in this book that doesn't read like a bad translation of something which was pretty poor even in the original. And as for the worldbuilding, it's the sort of spectacularly bad premise which you're amazed even got past the pitch stage. So, there's this other world called Terra Fantasme, and its a paradise with loads of super tech...but also war-torn, because its inhabitants had no consciences. So they came to Earth, and made a deal with us, that humans would be their conscience.

Yeah.

I mean, putting the most charitable possible construction on this, the deal appears to have been made somewhere circa Napoleonic times, so maybe the idea is that it's a metaphor for industrialisation, and the supertechnology we get from the Fantasmen, the darkening of Earth since then, is meant to represent the rise of mechanised total war. But if there's any notion that before that, humans were finer, and free from atrocity...well, someone needs to read a history of the Thirty Years War. Or just a history, full stop. And granted, perhaps we're not being told the whole truth here (though why I'm studiously avoiding spoilers for this mess I do not know), but even so, nobody seems to express any doubts about the official story, even though making a deal with humans for their consciences is a bit like making a deal with a dachshund for his legs, or a blobfish for its ravishing good looks. It is, not to put too fine a point on it, really obviously fucking stupid. Even before we later meet a Fantasmen character who's clearly far more decent than any of the humans here.

Flash forward to now-ish, probably, except with different tech and lots of humans hybridised with Fantasmen through a ritual called 'dissonance', even though it's clearly a harmonisation, so yeah, the series' title refers to something which means the opposite of what it's supposed to. Earth is run by a fiendish conspiracy, because of course it is, who mainly do the usual painfully predictable things fiendish conspiracies do, except when they're being so parodically evil that it goes past boring into nonsensical (eradicating all art - why? What's the mileage?). Our leads are two siblings born into this conspiracy, who again behave exactly as you'd expect from that description, so long as you're not anticipating the least hint of originality or charisma. Various shit goes down, none of it either plausible or fun, and having persevered with this because I assumed it had to get better or at least do something that wasn't entirely terrible at some point, I can only warn you not to make the same mistake.

*Honourable exception: the Sejics, who do something ostensibly not dissimilar, but make it work.

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Des Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Torn on this one a bit. Visually, the designs are awesome, and the world is a pretty damn interesting one. The core concepts had me hooked right off the bat, and I was eager to see what these dudes looked like, and what different aspects the synchers would inherit, etc. But this was a let down. At only four issues, this trade goes nowhere. It just feels like several info-dumps sloppily piled into a mess of a story. I don't know who the main character is, or who the good guys are, or really have any notion of a journey at all. It could get better, but I was pretty bummed at the lack of any resolution.

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. If the exposition-heavy opening, telling us (because they don't know how to show us) of man kinda merging with some weird alien things to produce individual hybrids for some cockamamie reason, doesn't put you off, I'm sorry to say it doesn't get better. There's the core of a good book here, two young adult siblings battling each other for superiority and the rule of the world more or less, with their attendant alien things, but it's all just piffle. Read David Icke for something about lizard things ruling the world that makes more sense than this.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay. There's a tantalizing premise here, with two siblings fighting each other for the fate of the world, interesting personality dynamics, and what was obviously a fair bit of world building.

Unfortunately, a lot of the world building is communicated to the reader through infodumps rather than dialog or plot, and the story seems to lose a bit of its focus as the creators try to ramp up the tension. It's not bad by any means, but at the same time I am not exactly consumed by desire for the next volume. As I said above, this series has a lot of potential, but the execution just isn't good enough to make it a must-read.

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science fiction comic series about an Earth caught up in a merger with an alien race - good stuff

This is quite difficult to describe without giving too much away. The premise is that the people of Earth agree to a type of merger with a sophisticated advanced alien race. How this is balanced and organised leads to conflict, rebellion and bloodshed.
The concept is interesting and original and the characters are quite well-developed while the artwork is detailed, clear and exciting. Definitely more to come and worth a wee look.

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sami Basri's art is always welcome but this overwritten and yet halfbaked story is the pits. Some aliens have given Earth technology and some people merge with these aliens because the author says we have to. There's a secret cabal running the world and one alien that I guess is worse than the others. I don't even feel like explaining any further because this thing sucks. It's pretty clear Nugroho hasn't written comics before. There's so much text droning on and on throughout this. Plus, there's no ending. Image must have just finally read an issue and immediately cancelled the book.

[Mike Manzer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story was overcomplicated and characters were unlikeable. Cool art, but that alone couldn't save it.

[Aneta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty art but everything else about this was a half-baked mess that made no sense.