{"id":243,"date":"2009-01-14T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2009-01-14T11:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/?p=243"},"modified":"2010-08-02T01:19:08","modified_gmt":"2010-08-02T05:19:08","slug":"review-p-brane-the-green-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/wordpress\/2009\/01\/14\/review-p-brane-the-green-man\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW… P-Brane: The Green Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"P-Brane: The Green Man<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n

Written by Chris X Ring; Directed by Jesse Heffring; art by Angus P Byers and Jesse Heffring<\/em>; produced by Quietus Films<\/a>.
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I know what you are thinking… “Huh?\u00a0 A graphic novel called ‘P-Brane’?\u00a0 What is that, Vertigo or something?”\u00a0 To answer your question, no.\u00a0 P-Brane: The Green Man<\/a><\/em> is a very unusual graphic novel published by Graviton Publishing<\/a>.\u00a0 It was released in 2008 and is one of the most unique comics I’ve ever read.<\/p>\n

The cover art of this book is just gorgeous!\u00a0 It expertly depicts a haunted-looking man stalking through a desolate post-apocalyptic metropolis.\u00a0 He’s brandishing some high-tech weapon and surrounded by rotting corpses and skeletal skyscrapers.\u00a0 The cover artist, Vitaly S. Alexius, really did a phenomenal job on this piece.\u00a0 Very intriguing.<\/p>\n

Here is the synopsis of the story:<\/p>\n

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P-Brane: The Green Man<\/em>, tells the story of Casey Blade, an amnesiac vigilante who wakes in the alleys of New York and embarks on a dream inspired killing spree. He begins to realize he is part of a vast apocalyptic conspiracy. The story is reminiscent of classic 50’s sci-fi with a technomodern kick presented in a noir-ish gritty style, using photos of real actors affected in Photoshop to look like illustrations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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When I first looked at this graphic novel, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the printing of the book itself.\u00a0 Given that I’ve never heard of this publishing company, I was surprised at how professionally put together the book was.\u00a0 Glossy pages, great printing resolution, and an overall slick book.<\/p>\n

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What makes this book stand out the most from other graphic novels is the interior art.\u00a0 Normally you’d expect drawings or painted images within the pages of a comic book graphic novel.\u00a0 Not with this one.\u00a0 All the art is taken from real photographs that have been digitally enhanced.\u00a0 Each panel is heavy with noir-like shadows and intricate detail.\u00a0 To compile this book it took over 5,000 images, 100 actors, and two years of art and layout.\u00a0 This art is so innovative that it begins to bridge the gap between the traditional comic book format and film making.\u00a0 Check out this 50 second video showing how they took two actors in front of a green screen and turned it into one panel of a comic book.\u00a0 Pretty amazing stuff!\u00a0 If you can’t see the embedded video below, click here.<\/p>\n

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\"\"I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of the story at first.\u00a0 There were questions right out of the gate about the protagonist.\u00a0 In the beginning the story felt like an amped-up spy thriller, but I knew with a cover like that it was going different places.\u00a0 Here is rare peek into the thought process of the Irredeemable Shag…\u00a0 on page 2 the protagonist drops the F-bomb… on page 5 the protagonist impales a guy through the head with a piece of pipe.\u00a0 What did I think about this?\u00a0 I WAS HOOKED!<\/p>\n

I really liked that the story was broken into 28 small chapters.\u00a0 This made it much easier to digest the 221 page graphic novel, and also allowed for the writer to clearly segment the various story threads. The journey takes lots of twists and turns, never really answering all your questions until the end.\u00a0 The story also does a nice job touching on several different themes.\u00a0 For example, there are a couple chapters that focus on vigilante justice against child pornographers and a mob assassin.\u00a0 Next you follow the protagonist as he strikes against global terrorism.\u00a0 Then just to keep you off balance, there is an entire chapter with nothing but two guys talking in a cafe that is printed in landscape format (rather than portrait orientation).<\/p>\n

About halfway through the book you get to the heart of the plot.\u00a0 The story transitions from a study of the mysterious protagonist into the human race’s battle for survival.\u00a0 Without spoiling too much, Earth is threatened because of its potential for disrupting the space-time manifold of the universe.\u00a0 The title ‘P-Brane’ comes from real scientific concepts based around M-Theory<\/a>.\u00a0 In non-technical terms, M-theory presents an idea about the basic substance of the universe. I love a good story that incorporates real hard-science concepts!<\/p>\n

After writing my review above, I went out on the inter-webs to see what others were saying. Here are a few quotes…<\/p>\n