Dawnrunner #1

I was interested in it from the cover which immediately brought to mind Akira for some reason … and when I looked at a sample of the artwork I was genuinely surprised to see a Black woman as the lead character.

As I mentioned, the cover drew me in. I know not to judge a book by it’s cover especially with comics because the covers are a whole different kind of thing often done by guest artists as alternatives etc so you really can’t tell anything from a cover. I only buy comics via Comixology and there is often the chance to “peek inside” and see the first few pages of art. I always check that to see if I’m going to enjoy the style or whether it will be a cognitive disaster for how my mind works. I really loved the front artwork and was hoping it was going to be similar inside … and it was … and I love it.

It’s very clean and easy to take in which is important for someone with the obstacles I have when it comes to reading multiple things on a page at one time. The lines are clean and I especially liked the flow of the action section towards the end. Sometimes this is where I can get lost in the art and paneling but I really feel like Evan Cagle’s styles communicates so clearly to me. I don’t get lost in everything happening.

Diving into it, Dawnrunner was a comic I wasn’t sure I’d like and I did have a hard time motivating myself through the comic after an early on annoyance that will pretty much ALWAYS turn me off of any media … the boring, cliche racism or misogyny angle of motivation (or de-motivation) ESPECIALLY in worlds of the future. I’m not saying that I believe in the lie of hope that the future will be devoid of the things that are destroying our society today … I’m just saying that the reason why I might be drawn to a story that happens in a different time, a different place, a different imagined setting, is because I don’t want to read about that shit I have to suffer every minute of every day of my life. I guess I am just interested in someone who has a vision of the future that is not totally dystopian or exactly the same as things are today … oh and one that doesn’t have zombies. I’m so sick of zombies.

I get that people have a hard time writing outside of the reality they live in but really? No one can imagine anything else? They just look out of their own window and only are capable of building a world based on blocks they already have? There’s no one out there just doing something DIFFERENT or seeing the future DIFFERENTLY? I just … find it so boring.

This kind of stuff just really makes me eyeroll and not want to read further. Just like SAing women for the sake of pushing a male character further or killing them or just in general using women as fodder.

At this point there is nothing stopping them from calling her a Darkie or hey why not say she’s too masculine to be attractive, or why not imply she’s trans because she pilots better … is that still a thing in the future too? Hating people who are different? We’re battling giant aliens who took the lives of MILLIONS and supposedly the world came together to hold them back and despite all that somehow men still hate a Black woman who is strong, focused, and excels at her job.

Seriously? I just really want something different. Just anyone with a different take …

But men are really telling on themselves … showing how they’re incapable of change no matter WHAT happens to the world.

Figures.

I’m glad that I decided to stick with it and to keep going with the story. The end of #1 really got my attention and I found myself really looking forward to #2. I almost started reading it before doing this write up!

There is a connection happening far beyond pilot and mech and I feel like this is going to be key moving forward. Dawnrunner has my attention, and while it took the entire comic for me to get really interested, I know that good stories take their time.

Like with a lot of television or just media in general these days, you have to hook people – especially people who have zero attention spans and/or score in the minuses when it comes to media literacy – from the beginning and Dawnrunner does a great job establishing the world, introducing us to the main character, one of the main conflicts, as well as the technology within just a few pages.

What an opening issue! I’m truly on the edge of my seat right now!

As soon as I’m done writing this I will be diving into the next issue!