Lantern City, Vol. 1

“The city above is the city we love.”

“The Greys provide so we survive.”

“The guard protects so we may serve.”

“The actions of ONE are the actions of ALL.”

“In Grey we trust . . . “

These are the words drilled into your head if you’re born into the lower class of Lantern City, a steampunk dystopia walled off from the outside world. The place has a very “Big Brother is watching you” vibe to it, and you can (and will be) punished harshly if you act so boldly as to step out of line. Even by doing something as simple as singing as you work.

It’s no wonder the main character, Sander, is reluctant when his brother-in-law tries to pull him into the rebellion. He has a family to consider, but it’s for this very reason that he knows things must change whether he is afraid or not.

With little time to even think about what he is doing, Sander is thrust into the rebellion headfirst as he infiltrates the Guard, posing as one of their own. Forced to think on his feet, he must learn quickly and stay one step ahead of his enemies if he hopes to keep not only himself, but also his family, alive.

So, let’s talk pros and cons.

The Pros:

• This hardcover beauty has some nice artwork and lovely extras at the end of the book about the world itself. I’m a sucker for worldbuilding so I thought this was pretty cool.
• A clear, solid plot with good narration and very easy to follow panels.
• The world is intriguing and leaves you curious and wanting to explore more of it.

The Cons:

• I couldn’t help but feel that Sander had too easy of a time infiltrating the Guard. Not only did he seamlessly (with the exception of one person who just wasn’t buying it) step into the shoes of another man, but it was a captain no less. A highly trained captain. Somehow, despite having no proper training, Sander breezes through just about any obstacle thrown his way.
• The characters didn’t really leave as much of an impact on me as I would have liked.

  

All in all I liked my first visit to the world of Lantern City, and I would check out volume 2 in the future. I’d give the start of this series 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Next up on my comic reading list? Volume 2 of DC Bombshells. I’m really excited to read it. How about you? Reading anything good lately? Let’s talk about it! 😀