Another look at Warlord of Io

I spoke about the comic Warlord of Io and Other Stories before and described its unlucky fate due to shifting standards over at Diamond; I also described how I recently met James Turner and obtained a rare copy of his second story, simply titled Warlord of Io#1. This time, I'll discuss the most recent work.

Warlord of Io#1 contains the story begun in Warlord of Io and Other Stories. The well-meaning Zing has recently been appointed emperor of Io by his father and hopes to bring about sweeping reforms to impress his friend Moxy Comet. We pick up the story as Zing, Moxy and Zing's bodyguard Urk visit Tne, the wise old tree. Unfortunately, the military of Io are none too pleased by Zing's plan to cut their budget and are even now preparing a coup. Zing, Moxy and Urk must rely upon their wits...and on the stupidity of their opponents.

While the first issue was largely set-up, this time out Turner brings an all-out action issue set at a breezy pace as Zing applies video game logic to every crisis, important lessons are learned about Bobbleheds, Dazbog deletes Plotka as a Spacebook friend and Moxy learns why you shouldn't recharge your cell phone. Plus, the Encyclopedia feed from the previous story returns. Turner emphasized to me that (like the "director's commentary" in Rex Libris#1) it should really be ignored on the first read-through, it's meant to enhance repeated reading experiences.

There's a lot going on in the background of this story, from the wonderful cityscapes and creatures Turner designed to repeated references to the heroic Jon Jett, who is clearly being set up for a later appearance (or running gag). I think perhaps Turner's Hunter-Killer Cyclopbot could put it best: "Prodigious comic book! Luck astronomical! Fortune favors Warlord of Io readers!"

You can obtain a pdf copy of Warlord of Io#1 from Slave Labor Graphics.