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Wasteland (comic)
Encyclopedia
Wasteland is a monthly comic book
series written by Antony Johnston
, drawn by Christopher Mitten with covers by Ben Templesmith
, and published by Oni Press
. Issue #1 debuted in July 2006
.
The series is set one hundred years after the Big Wet, an unspecified disaster that destroyed modern society and, it is assumed, changed the world's coastlines. The story takes place somewhere in America, now a barren desert
and dustbowl without modern technology. The seas are poisonous, and subsistence farming with small amounts of livestock appears to be the norm.
The book also has theme music
, composed and performed by Johnston, which can be downloaded from the official website.
and preview page for the following issue. The remainder of the pages are taken up by ads, normally for other series from Oni Press
and/or by Wastelands creators.
The letters column sometimes contains pieces of submitted fan art
, and Johnston himself often answers the letters.
The F.A.Q. section of Johnston's website has the series slated to run for 50 issues.
The second storyline follows the political machinations of a large city known as Newbegin, where the city's leader Marcus (aka Lord Founder) is oppressing the Sunner population, most of whom are slaves.
has stated in interviews that the comic's language is carefully constructed.
For example, many epithets involving animals have become solely references to goat
s - "Son of a goat", "Goatshit", "I'll be a goat's uncle", and so on. No reference has yet been made in the book to Christ
or Jesus
; although God
is mentioned in "Walking the Dust" text pieces, and issue 14 (set 55 years after the big wet) there is a priest whom wears a cross, carries a bible, and refers to himself as a member of the "Cross Chain" religion. The names of places and cities are new or changed ("Providence" is almost certainly not Providence, Rhode Island
due to its non-coastal location, and one as yet unseen prominent city is referred to as "Wosh-Tun"). Although the book clearly states it is set "Somewhere in America", no character has yet named the country as such, instead referring to their location simply as "the country" or even "the world". It is therefore assumed that place names have been lost and/or forgotten.
Based on the geographic descriptions in the "Walking the Dust" essays, accompaning the first 15 issues, it's likely that "Wash-Tun" is Washington, DC. It's mentioned that east of Wash-Tun lies the Black Water that separates the main land from the East Reach. The East Reach is connected by a landbridge to the mainland, which lies north of Wash-Tun. It's possible that the Black Water is Chesapeake Bay
and the East Reach is Delaware
. West of Wash-Tun lie the Suntop Peaks, which stretch far to the south, ending in a large peninsular. This could be a reference to the Allegheny Mountains
and Florida
Some words have the suffix "-age" added to them
collections on an ongoing basis.
The series was afflicted by serious delays after issue #26. Issue #27, originally planned for July 2009 was delayed to January 2010, mainly due to Johnston's involvement with Dead Space
, Dead Space: Extraction
and other projects.
As of July 2009
, Oni are also releasing hardcover collections.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series written by Antony Johnston
Antony Johnston
Antony Johnston is an award-winning British writer. He is known for the post apocalyptic comic series Wasteland, his graphic novel adaptations of Anthony Horowitz' Alex Rider novels, and his work with Alan Moore.-Career:...
, drawn by Christopher Mitten with covers by Ben Templesmith
Ben Templesmith
Ben Templesmith is an Australian comic book artist best known for his work in the American comic book industry, most notably the Image Comics series Fell, with writer Warren Ellis, which is credited with pioneering a new format for commercial comics, and IDW's 30 Days of Night with writer Steve...
, and published by Oni Press
Oni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1997 by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack with the goal of publishing the kinds of comics and graphic novels they themselves would want to read...
. Issue #1 debuted in July 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
.
The series is set one hundred years after the Big Wet, an unspecified disaster that destroyed modern society and, it is assumed, changed the world's coastlines. The story takes place somewhere in America, now a barren desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
and dustbowl without modern technology. The seas are poisonous, and subsistence farming with small amounts of livestock appears to be the norm.
The book also has theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, composed and performed by Johnston, which can be downloaded from the official website.
Format
Each issue of Wasteland is 32 pages long (with the exception of issue #1, which was a special double length premiere) and contains 22 pages of comic story, one episode of the prose serial travelogue Walking The Dust, a letters columnComic book letter column
A comic book letter column is a section of a comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns , letter pages, letters of comment , or simply letters to the editor...
and preview page for the following issue. The remainder of the pages are taken up by ads, normally for other series from Oni Press
Oni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1997 by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack with the goal of publishing the kinds of comics and graphic novels they themselves would want to read...
and/or by Wastelands creators.
The letters column sometimes contains pieces of submitted fan art
Fan art
Fan art or fanart is artwork that is based on a character, costume, collage, item, or story that was created by someone other than the artist, such as a fan, from which the word is derived from. The term, while it can apply to art done by fans of characters from books, is usually used to refer to...
, and Johnston himself often answers the letters.
The F.A.Q. section of Johnston's website has the series slated to run for 50 issues.
The Big Wet
The most-seen explanation for the apocalypse comes from the Sunner religion, a sect that worships Mother Sun and Father Moon. According to their legend, the Big Wet was a retribution on the people of A-Ree-Yass-I for shunning the 'gifts' Mother Sun and Father Moon offered them. It seems as though this mythic place's name is a play on words by the author, & a linguistic contraction in-world, for "Area 1/I"--a military base/lab where the bomb was created.Storylines
Thus far, the comic has established two distinct storylines. The first follows a scavenger named Michael who roams the wasteland, trading what he can salvage. His life changes forever when he finds a machine that talks in a forgotten language, supposedly giving directions to the fabled land of A-Ree-Yass-I, where mankind's downfall began. Michael tries to trade the machine at a small town of Sunners called Providence, and his fate becomes intertwined with the machine's.The second storyline follows the political machinations of a large city known as Newbegin, where the city's leader Marcus (aka Lord Founder) is oppressing the Sunner population, most of whom are slaves.
Sunner Beliefs
Sunners have been shown to hold the following beliefs:- They worship 'Mother Sun' and 'Father Moon'
- They cremate their dead in the open air
- They are pacifists (though they appear to make exceptions for non-human creatures)
- Fires are considered a form of tribute to their gods
Language
Many words and phrases from our own time have changed to fit the world of Wasteland, and writer Antony JohnstonAntony Johnston
Antony Johnston is an award-winning British writer. He is known for the post apocalyptic comic series Wasteland, his graphic novel adaptations of Anthony Horowitz' Alex Rider novels, and his work with Alan Moore.-Career:...
has stated in interviews that the comic's language is carefully constructed.
For example, many epithets involving animals have become solely references to goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s - "Son of a goat", "Goatshit", "I'll be a goat's uncle", and so on. No reference has yet been made in the book to Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
or Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
; although God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
is mentioned in "Walking the Dust" text pieces, and issue 14 (set 55 years after the big wet) there is a priest whom wears a cross, carries a bible, and refers to himself as a member of the "Cross Chain" religion. The names of places and cities are new or changed ("Providence" is almost certainly not Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
due to its non-coastal location, and one as yet unseen prominent city is referred to as "Wosh-Tun"). Although the book clearly states it is set "Somewhere in America", no character has yet named the country as such, instead referring to their location simply as "the country" or even "the world". It is therefore assumed that place names have been lost and/or forgotten.
Based on the geographic descriptions in the "Walking the Dust" essays, accompaning the first 15 issues, it's likely that "Wash-Tun" is Washington, DC. It's mentioned that east of Wash-Tun lies the Black Water that separates the main land from the East Reach. The East Reach is connected by a landbridge to the mainland, which lies north of Wash-Tun. It's possible that the Black Water is Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
and the East Reach is Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. West of Wash-Tun lie the Suntop Peaks, which stretch far to the south, ending in a large peninsular. This could be a reference to the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Some words have the suffix "-age" added to them
Collections
Oni are releasing trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
collections on an ongoing basis.
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cities In Dust | ISBN 978-1-932664-59-1 | March, 2007 | Wasteland #1-6 |
| 2 | Shades of God | ISBN 978-1-932664-90-4 | December, 2007 | Wasteland #8–13 |
| 3 | Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos | ISBN 978-1-934964-08-8 | December 2008 | Wasteland #15-19 |
| 4 | Dog Tribe | ISBN 978-1-934964-17-0 | June 2009 | Wasteland #21-24 |
| 5 | Tales of the Uninvited | ISBN 978-1-934964-29-3 | November 18, 2009 | Wasteland #7, 14, 20, 25 |
| 6 | The Enemy Within | ISBN 978-1-934964-30-9 | November 16, 2011 | Wasteland #26-31 |
- Issue #7 'Children of the Sun' and Issue #14 'Death Walks Behind You', #20 & #25 were stand alone stories.
The series was afflicted by serious delays after issue #26. Issue #27, originally planned for July 2009 was delayed to January 2010, mainly due to Johnston's involvement with Dead Space
Dead Space (video game)
Dead Space is a survival horror third-person shooter video game, developed by EA Redwood Shores for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was made available on Steam on October 20, 2008...
, Dead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction has received favorable reviews, with an average rating of 82/100 on review aggregator Metacritic. Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the game 84 percent and called it "A first rate introduction to one of the finest survival horror franchises of recent years." The website...
and other projects.
As of July 2009
2009 in comics
-January:*January 1: The direct-to-DVD movie Hulk Vs was released.*January 6: The third and final volume of Hollow Fields has been released.-February:...
, Oni are also releasing hardcover collections.
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Apocalyptic Edition: Volume 1 | ISBN 978-1934964194 | July, 2009 | Wasteland #1-13 |
| 2 | The Apocalyptic Edition: Volume 2 | ISBN 978-1934964460 | October, 2010 | Wasteland #14-25 |
Awards
- 20062006 in comics-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
: Nominated for "Best New Series" Harvey Awards - 20072007 in comics-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....
: Nominated for "Favourite Black and White Comicbook - American" Eagle Award
External links
- The Big Wet - official website
- http://www.antonyjohnston.com/ - author's website
Interviews
- CCI, Day 2 - The Future Is Now: Antony Johnston's "Wasteland", Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, July 16, 2005 - The Rising Tide: Antony Johnston talks Oni's "Wasteland", Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, April 25, 2006 - Post-Apocalypse Now: Johnston's "Wasteland", Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, December 19, 2006 - Exploring the Wasteland with Antony Johnston, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
, December 20, 2006 - Interview with Antony Johnston podcast at ComiXology, January 21, 2008]
- Antony Johnston talks "Dead Space," "Wasteland", Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, February 4, 2008