Engineward #1 is due out July 15, 2020. — **Engineward #1** is due out July 15, 2020.

By Jarred A. Luján — Engineward is a new comic from Vault Comics. The 12 issue series is described by Vault as: In ENGINEWARD, Earth is an ancient myth, long forgotten. Now, the god-like Celestials, who embody the surviving zodiac signs, rule with brutal efficiency. When Joss, an Engineward, discovers and reactivates the head of a fossilized Ghoulem, she learns all is not as intended. Her destiny—and the truth about her imperious rulers—lies somewhere far beyond the borders of her shantytown.

I post that because…I’m not really sure I could give you a description much better. Engineward feels like one of those books you’re just going to have to tell people “You just have to read it!” as the description for it.

There’s such a tremendous amount going on here. Writer George Mann impresses from the start. What I love about Engineward is the simultaneous feeling of familiarity and profound foreignness. The pillars of the story, characters Joss, Ichabod, and Kreek, all have a sense of the familiar to them as we relate to them. We understand their bonds and the stark conditions in which they live. Their struggles are something we can understand. However, the setting they live in is completely new, completely different. They use a special kind of language, creatures we’ve never seen are encountered, and they’re governed by a group of Zodiac themed rulers that we have little to no background on.

The brilliant part of all of this is that we aren’t given an abundant background lesson on any of this. We are thrown into the world that Joss and Ichabod live within, expected to catch up. That gives this book such an incredible edge of adventure and mystery, it actively gives you a sense of excitement. This is ambitious science fiction writing at the absolute top of the game.

In terms of art, holy cow can Joe Eisma draw his ass off. I think Eisma’s art encapsulates the way Mann writes in the best of terms. The way that Eisma uses his art to mix that feeling of familiarity/unfamiliarity together visually is one of my favorite parts of the book. The sense of design, especially with the bits surrounding the Celestials, had some of the best visuals in the book. I think Eisma has this really good balance between action sequences and great character acting during their interactions. Ichabod and Joss’ relationship is diminished without Eisma’s keen hands drawing them.

Lastly, I think Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou needs to get some big credit for the book as well. Otsmane-Elhaou has been doing some incredible lettering, but I really feel like this is some of his best work yet. The various styles used, the way he handles the overarching narration, the INCREDIBLE SFX used throughout, all elevate the book tremendously.

OVERALL: If this #1 is any indication, Engineward is going to be one of the best comics of the year. 10/10

Engineward #1
Writer: George Mann
Artist: Joe Eisma
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Earth is an ancient myth, long forgotten. Now, the word of the god-like Celestials is absolute, and they rule with brutal efficiency. When Joss, an Engineward, discovers and reactivates the head of an ancient ghoulem, she finds all is not as intended. Her destiny-and that of her world-lies somewhere far beyond the borders of her shantytown.
Release Date: July 15, 2020
Pre-Order It: Click here!

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Jarred A. Luján makes comics, studies existential philosophy, and listens to hip-hop too loudly. For bad jokes and dog pictures, you can follow him on Twitter.