Rust Volume 1 HC
Pursued by a massive robot, a boy flies his jet pack into the life of Roman Taylor, and, after a desperate battle to fell the automaton, Roman realizes that rebuilding and reprogramming the machine is the key to saving his failing farm. Meanwhile, young pilot Jet Jones is surely more than he appears, as he claims to have fought in a war between man and machine that ended decades ago. Though it takes place in “the present,” the World War I aesthetic of the flashbacks places it in a rural everywhen, and the sepia-toned art, with its pulp-inspired robots and jet packs and its modern faces and figures, effectively borrows from a century’s worth of influences. Roman’s struggle is sharply portrayed with minimal words, allowing the art to carry much of the emotion while delivering clear and thrilling action sequences. Though it feels like just the tip of a much larger story to come, it will be much enjoyed by readers of lyrical fantasy adventures like Matt Phelan’s The Storm in the Barn (2009). Grades 4-8. --Jesse Karp