Readers of The Lost Art

 Authors:        Christopher J. Mitten, Antony Johnston

Reviewer:     Louise

In a post-apocalyptic world, a mysterious stranger roams from settlement to settlement, on a quest that will change his world. Meanwhile, the elders of one of the few surviving cities must defend their way of life against the incursions of marauding bandits…

Sound familiar? If it doesn’t, then, gentle reader, you clearly have not read or viewed much sci-fi, since the above post-apocalyptic scenario is one of the classic sci-fi plots – think Mad Max, Waterworld, and even the book the Readers of the Lost Art have recently read, The Painted Man… 

Of course, it can trace its origins back further, as similar themes can be found in many classic Westerns and even stories set in the medieval era with wandering knights-errant. I mention this by way of saying that the basic scenario of Wasteland is familiar, but this is not necessarily a problem. It’s not whether the scenario is familiar, there being only around fifteen plots in the world, but whether the author has managed to do anything good with it. 

Happily, this author and artist have. I enjoyed Wasteland. I like a good action-adventure, especially if the author has successfully created characters which are neither annoyingly invincible, or just annoying. The main character, Michael, is mysterious without it being too contrived, and there’s a pleasing lack of sexism, with some strong female characters. The art is good, too – black and white and very clear, in a way that really suits the story. In a genre too often filled with men-in-tights filler, this is a welcome and refreshing addition to the world of graphic novels. 

Paperback: 160 pages

Publisher: Oni Press (28 Mar 2007)

ISBN-10: 1932664599