City of Dust: A Philip Khrome Story is the fourth publication from Radical Comics. It's written by Steve Niles and drawn by Zid. Like all of Radical's publications, it features painted art and a specialized genre. This time around, we get to dive into a dystopic/science-fiction/noir story.
The Story
I should start off by saying that I have a fondness both for noir and for dystopias, and so from the start I felt like this book had a lot of potential in its setting.
It's the story of a future perhaps not too far distant where cities have become overgrown and status is represented by height. It's also a story of unremitting fascism, where religion and faith have been outlawed due to the damage that they've done to humanity. But, the prohibitions didn't stop there: imaginary stories of all types are now forbidden and books ofareobjects of fear.
Enter Philip Khrome, police officer. He doesn't usually prosecute "imagination crimes", but he's willing to do so when the need arises. In City of Dust, Khrome becomes involved with the case of a brutal killer who has begun to prey upon his city, and soon learns that those very objects which have been forbidden by his society may play a part in this new crime wave.
The Storytelling
City of Dust #1 has three goals: to familiarize us with the setting; to introduce us to one character that we like; and to get the plot rolling. The second element is particularly important in a dystopic story where everything is so dark and so many of the characters are engaging in commonplace practices that we'd find repugnant.
City of Dust does a good job on all three criteria. I think it particularly shines in its setting and its characterization.
Now, the dystopic book-fearing world has been done before, most famously in Farenheit 451, but I think it's an important topic, especially with book-fearing politicians still standing on the U.S. stage. However, the fearful future goes beyond this one element: there also other dystopic elements in this story, such as an instant-justice system.
Ultimately, the success of dystopic elements depends on where the story goes with it. If they're just being offered for shock value, we've seen what the story has to offer, but my hope is that Niles will be making bigger statements about our world today, as dystopic writers often do.
The hero of the story is the nominative Philip Khrome, who we can see from the start has doubts about the justice he carries out, despite his stated willingness to enforce them. Cue the one character that we like.
I'll also close out saying that of all the Radical Comics thus far, this one is the best written for the comic medium. I felt like some of their earlier books weren't timed quite right for comic books, but this one is seamless, probably because of author Niles' experience in the genre.
Based on these factors, I've thus far given City of Dust a "4" out of "5" in Substance. Which direction its rating heads will depend on how well it pays off the ideas set forth in this first issue.
The Artwork
Every Radical Comics book thus far has had good artwork, and this is no exception. Like their other future dystopia, Freedom Formula, City of Dust shows off a combination of full-color paintings and more austere near-monochromes. The result is attractive, and unlike other Radical books, I have no complaint about the brightness of the artwork here (not because it's not dark, but rather because it feels entirely appropriate).
Artist Zid also shows nice variety in his work. He does a good job of portraying a lot of different action, from shocking violence to torrid sex, and it all looks great.
I've given City of Dust: A Philip Khrome Story a "5" out of "5" for its Style.
Conclusion
City of Dust: A Philip Khrome Story is another strong entry to the Radical Comics stable. It's a look at a fun genre, and it presents it well. I'm looking forward to seeing how the promises of this first book are paid off in the series.
