Drome – 2025 (23rd Street) – Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Author: Jesse Lonergan
Art: Jesse Lonergan
Series Contents: Drome Graphic Novel (Not published as single issues)
A fantastic journey through the beginnings of a society in another realm, full of adventure, chaos, action, emotion and more.
Story:
Drome is fairly light on dialogue, letting the art and layouts do most of the heavy lifting of storytelling, and this works very well. Told in five chapters, Drome is an absolute blast to flip through and discover. Its world is familiar, yet magical and unique, using concepts of human history interwoven into a new world’s growth and evolution.
Opening with a chapter entitled “Blue,” we get a feel for the beginnings of the life of this world, “human” and animal, as well as a taste of the gods above, which appear to mirror night and day. I put “human” in quotes as they may look like man, and be driven by power and warfare like man, but there are some distinct and magical differences as well that set them apart from humans, especially when the gods are involved.
The story weaves its own mythology that is entirely natural and moves at a good pace through the story. The concepts never feel strange for this new world, and they are all well displayed via immaculately planned pages and well-designed artistic layouts. The storytelling is easy to follow despite minimal exposition and with most discovery done visually.
Overall, this leads to a magical experience that feels like both fantasy and history. The gods may have their plans, but “man” may not follow the script. The humans may have their plans, but the gods may not follow their script. The animal world may just be trying to survive in their own kingdoms, but run into challenges with human war mongering. Will society ever evolve into habitable existence and outgrow the need for battle, or will the gods tear everything down first?
Art:
As mentioned before, the page design is part of the show. There are plenty of completely normal pages and panel breaks, however Lonergan utilized squares and circles throughout the book to give a concept of motion and otherworldly existences. The use of the circle shape also fits the themes of the story which feature repetition and day and night cycles.
The art itself is quite well done and is a lot of fun to look at, and follow the motion and actions through the panels. Backgrounds and scenery are detailed, and animals, humans and gods are all done creatively. The color scheme fits both the chapter titles/themes and the overall story itself, and presents its blend of familiarity mixed with fantasy and the unknown. The art is bustling with creativity and is a major part of the storytelling.
Reasons to Read:
Drome is an easy read which whips right along. The adventure is top notch, and the emotions are recognizable. While some of it is meant to feel alien and new, the cohesive product feels like the history of life anywhere, any time. The page layouts are worth the price of admission alone, but the story itself backs the art up. It is mostly hard to anticipate, and the mythology aspect is strong.
Similar Titles:
Reborn; The Many Deaths of Laila Starr; Middlewest; Saga; Godfell; Tongues