Created by, Ram V, Rajiv Bhakat, and Devmalya Pramanik
Written by, Ram V
Art by, Devmalya Pramanik
Colors by, Dearbhla Kelly & Alex Sollazzo
Letters by, Aditya Bidikar
Recap
In the previous issue, Jack, Vance, and Karin enter the “Floating City” where Jack communicates with a character who calls himself “The Primary Itinerant.” The Itinerant asks Jack what he wants? Jacks says, to go to Paradiso. Itinerant asks, is that all? Jack says, No, he wants to know who he is and more about his origin. The Itinerant gives Jack a new Pnuemas, which is a glowing green object that looks like a light bulb, and shows him how it works. He tells Jack to return to Centerim and to find the girl.
Issue #4 begins, flashback to where the story began in issue #1. Jack’s mentor, Yosef, comforts Jack as a boy after he’s been teased by a group of children in town. Yosef cheers him up by showing him the girl he’s creating, “Deus.” Deus is similar to the Guardians who were in previous issues. She is mechanical and technologically advanced with a robust AI system. Yosef shows Jack how to use the Pnuemas to power up Deus. When Jack uses the Pnuemas, it removes his memories and it also imprinted part of him into Deus’ framework. In essence, Deus is part of Jack and holds his memories inside her. This is why Itinerant told him to find the girl.
The story transitions to the present, Jack, Vance, and Karin leave the floating city and run into a conflict between the Guardians and the Raiders. The Guardians were initially defeated by the Raiders. Jack uses the Pnuemas to resurrect the Guardian who was killed earlier. The resurrected Guardian makes quick work of the Raiders, defeating them all easily. However, before the conflict is concluded, the larger Guardian sacrifices himself to save Arbuck, the city the Guardians defend. Several large explosions occur. Jack wakes up in a hospital bed next to a woman he met at Aquarius, earlier in this series. The woman gives back the Pueumas she stole from him and also informs him that one of the Guardians died. Jack cannot remember anything. We learn that one of the effects of using the Pnuemas is a loss of memories. This informs the reader why he cannot remember his past.
This is a very interesting story that continues to build layers as it advances. The art is crude, the colors are earthy and dirty, which builds on the post-apocalyptic theme. The narratives build and advance through strong character work and interesting storylines. Jack is searching for himself; he’s been given power through the use of the Tinkerman’s ancient instrument, the Pnuemas. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys these types of stories.
