Book Of The Month – June
Titanium Rain: Book One
Written by Josh Finney
Art by Kat Rocha, Josh Finney
The Merriam-Webster definition of science fiction is “fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component”. Many would classify the first volume of Titanium Rain as a science fiction / action-packed comic with gorgeous art, and they would be dead wrong.
Okay, yes, it is an action-packed comic with gorgeous art, but it is definitely not science fiction. I don’t care what the liberal media wants me to believe, but this comic you see before you is definitely a product of the not-too-distant future. I don’t have any idea how the author Josh Finney was able to build a time machine and travel to the year 2031, but I fear if I do learn his secrets, that time as we know it will collapse into a black hole, wiping-out the human race from existence.
It’s been said that “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”, and sure, that’s what Josh claims is what helped him develop this marvelous story, by looking back at the Boxer Rebellion and such, but the current events that surround us today can no way be just a mere coincidence of what happens in Titanium Rain. Troubles in Asia, and as usual the United States is sucked into the fray. This is what we get when we try to police the world the way we do.
I’m mad at Josh Finney. Not only does he have a working time machine which he refuses to use for good, but he also dragged poor innocent Kat Rocha into the mix. I can just picture the way it all went down; Kat Rocha had dreams of becoming an artist, and one sunny day while browsing through the indie graphic novel section at her local comic book shop, Josh Finney appears from nowhere and steals her from that moment in time. She cries and pleads for her life from this strange man, and Josh cackles with maniacal laughter and demands that she put pen to paper and illustrate the events that have not yet taken place in our world. Eventually, she develops Stockholm syndrome and the two of them are married before Captain Jean Luc Picard at a rather lovely ceremony on the bridge.
That has to be the only explanation of why the art is so exquisite. When you’re at the hands of a madman, you’ll draw your heart out if it means life or death!
Enough about why Josh Finney is wanted by Interpol (and the Chinese Government), onto the comic.
It takes place in 2032, and there’s a civil war in China known as the Sino Conflict. The whole world gets involved, and we follow a young Air Force pilot by the name of Alec Killan, who is the result of the Prometheus Initiative. In order to fly the fighter planes of the future, one must be upgraded in order to control and tame such a beast. Some people like tattoos, others like Alec enjoy bio-modifications. When a small infantry group is trapped behind enemy lines, it’s up to Alec and the Phoenix Squadron to clear a path for them. Along the way we get the history of where all the trouble began in China, how Alec got signed-up for the Prometheus Initiative, and more. Dogfights, close calls, and pure chaos ensues and not everyone makes it out alive.
I warn you right now that by the time you finish reading, you’ll be salivating for more. This book left me with the biggest smile across my face, because the environment that Josh and Kat have created is so incredibly detailed, that you could tell several stories within this universe for many years to come.
On top of all that, fifty pages of back material to flesh-out the story? Insane. This creative team should be locked behind bars and never allowed to see the light of day again.
Thankfully, they’re already hard at work on Book Two, but the longing to read it keeps me up at night like a bad tummy-ache.
In closing, I had a chat with the people over at Merrian-Webster, and they agreed to change the definition of the word reality. What used to be “the quality or state of being real”, has now been replaced with two words:
“Titanium Rain”
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Book Of The Month – February – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Book Of The Month – March – Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
