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Review: Telikos Protocol #1 – by Peter Cooper and Adam Burn

Eliot Cole writes for Bleeding Cool;

Peter Cooper and Adam Burn's Telikos Protocol is new to me. Rather shamefully for a Bleeding Cool reviewer and forum lurker I'd not seen the kickstarter news back in August. I clearly missed out on this as the result is quite a beautiful comic book.

The publisher aptly and succinctly describes Telikos Protocol as "an explosive science fiction action-adventure." The aforementioned campaign was also the most successful new creator/publisher comic in Kickstarter history, bringing perhaps an even further spread in demographic. Check out the most funded tables:
http://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/comics/most-funded?page=2

I've included some preview pages through the review, the last two are preview art not from issue one:
Review: Telikos Protocol #1 – by Peter Cooper and Adam BurnReview: Telikos Protocol #1 – by Peter Cooper and Adam BurnReview: Telikos Protocol #1 – by Peter Cooper and Adam Burn

So that beauty I was referring to: The underscapes, styling and character design are reminiscent of some of the best science fiction that I've read. The vision and preparation behind something like this must be immense, so it really does install a grin on your face getting to be part of something so well constructed. Whether that's conscious or not, they build something very complete and I'd trust these guys to adapt an Alastair Reynolds, Peter F. Hamilton or Iain M. Banks any day.Their world building evokes a sense of the attention to detail that

My only element of consternation is a reasonably important one for me. That is love, or, more accurately, my love for the characters. I felt very little on the emotional spectrum whilst reading this as a direct result of the characters or their individual journeys. Perhaps that's because it feels like very little has affected them in any meaningful way. It's tough to say if this is due to their psyches not being explored to that degree, or because the 'actors' are not emoting well enough. Perhaps they are all just tough mother fuckers. Again; lack of connection with the 'cast' is another SF trope, with multiple strands sometimes making it difficult for an author to instil any sense of caring in you as there isn't the time or space (sic).

Still that rather elusive quality aside, there is a lot to like here. I can't stop staring at the detail on pages nineteen and twenty which (along with a few others – 13/14 and 48) really sum up quite well the style on show here: Modern, adaptable and with detail in the right areas to hopefully be the right level of work for Burn to push out on schedule (whatever that may currently be!). To put those pages on display here would feel like cheating the reader and authors out of that pleasure.

Review: Telikos Protocol #1 – by Peter Cooper and Adam Burn

I do feel like I should apologise if it looks like I'm wailing on Mr. Cooper, here, I'm not. This is an action-adventure, and everyone on either side of the fourth wall is new here. Also, as far as debut comics go, it's a remarkable offering. Despite my reaction (or lack thereof) the individuals he has created are definitely that; individual. They are rounded, each clearly has their own narrative, and you can see clear paths for them in the on-going story.

So it's a three out of five from me, three is still good (!) and about average from me on new books. Although I can see others going higher than that, I like to feel something from a book, and it's been somewhat difficult defining the nothing I got here. However, it is a beautiful, well composed piece, which I would more than recommend you to pick up the first volume from the links below and try for yourself. I'll see you for the second volume, because I'm all in for that!

$0.99 / £0.49 – Prelude (first 14 pgs)
AmazonGraphic.lyiTunes

$3.99 / £2.55 – Issue One – Digital
Amazon

$?.?? – Issue One – Print
Coming soon to Amazon!

$4.99 – Graphicly (for panel-to-panel viewing mode) –  $0.99 prelude and issue 1 and issue #1.

Kickstarter Link (Hardback / Softback / Specials)


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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