Writer: Sabir Pirzada
Artists: Martin Morazzo, Vanesa Del Rey, Eric Koda, Roy
Allan Martinez, Gegé Schall, Thomas Campi, Adrian Rivero, Juha Veltti &
Marquis Rogers
Colorists: Juha Veltti, Jacob Phillips & Lee Loughridge
Letterers: Aditya Bidikar & Taylor Esposito
Dandelion Concept Artist: Corwin Herse Woo
Pin-Up Artist: David Mack
Cover Artist: Tula Lotay
Back Cover Artist: Mark S. Brunner
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $16.99
Release Date: June 19, 2024
Life forces Reggie and his wife to abandon life on land.
Experimental surgery can't help Amy walk again. Still, hospital bills leave
them bankrupt. So Reggie and Amy scrounge up enough money for a radical new
scheme. They will become Exiles from Earth and join the growing Lighter Than
Air community. How will Reggie and Amy enjoy life among the clouds? And how did
this movement begin? Let's pack our clothes, leap into Dandelion TP, and find
out!
Story
In Sabir Pirzada’s story, Jen Nakamuto dreams of living
above the land. She investigates the capabilities of solar energy, lightweight
materials, and wind-harnessing technology. An ever-growing Human population
scrambles constantly for their patch of land and often loses it due to global
warming, political upheaval, and economic factors. Why not build airborne homes
and float among the clouds?
In Dandelion TP, Jen imagines floating docking stations
where these drifting homes can gather and form global communities. Unlike
land-based cities, people can move and take their homes with them. Dandelion
owners can enjoy the comfort of their homes while traveling anywhere at a
moment's notice. Thanks to advancements in automation, machines perform most
manual labor. Why not use drones to bring food and remove waste?
As with any dream, the rich and influential find ways to coopt
Jen's dream. Once people like Reggie and Amy take to the skies, they can never
return. Governments harness Jen's social movement to reduce problems like
illegal immigration and homelessness. Instead of squeezing low-income earners
into overcrowded housing and subsidizing their food, the poor and displaced
enjoy five-bedroom homes, free utilities, and drone-delivered meals.
People like Reggie may regret the circumstances that forced
them to become Exiles. Like Charlotte Brontë's novel Shirley, Dandelion TP
tackles technological and societal evolution. Some who take to the sky will
stage protests and attack those who forced them to abandon life on land. Still,
that doesn’t stop people like Reggie and Amy from enjoying better lives in the
clouds.
Art
A community of artists descends on Sabir Pirzada’s story to
show how people live on land and in the air. Martin Morazzo, Vanesa Del Rey,
Eric Koda, Roy Allan Martinez, Gegé Schall, Thomas Campi, Adrian Rivero, Juha
Veltti, and Marquis Rogers portray these floating homes, overcrowded cities,
and talented revolutionaries. An out-of-shape salesperson forces Reggie to give
up the possession he most cherishes for the woman he loves. Yet the wasteland
where they take to the skies later thrives with life that defies their
expectations and provides healing.
Juha Veltti, Jacob Phillips, and Lee Loughridge fill the myriad
stories in Dandelion TP with a lavish spectrum of color. Purple-suited Clown
Killers rain red upon greedy executives. Yellow and green enhance a protest on
an island that sparks a violent response. Red and green suffuse one man's
efforts to preserve traditional agricultural methods and uphold a family
legacy. After two women meet in a purple and green skybar, they chart the
limits of their Dandelions among the blue clouds. Perhaps the most heartwarming
story is told in soft blues and features a person garbed in red and white.
Aditya Bidikar and Taylor Esposito's white letters enhance
the birth of Jen Nakamuto's dream. Uppercase black letters fill orange and
lavender narrative boxes as two women race through the starry night. Lowercase
white lettering on black accompanies glimpses of Jen and diagrams of
dandelions. An octopus and a bird speak white words into black dialogue
balloons. Enlarged and colorful lettering helps us hear a familiar holiday cry.
Sound effects amplify gunfire and malfunctioning drones, and green letters
overlay a 3D graphic display as pirates sail their wooden ship into a sunken
city in Dandelion TP. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
When a restauranteur uses her bargaining skills to convince
investors to fund her dream, she sparks a revolution in Human history. Jen
Nakamuto’s dream becomes a springboard for stories exploring how Humanity’s
move to Lighter Than Air Living changes life on Earth and charts the Poor’s
path to freedom. The poems, podcast excerpts, conference transcripts, and
stories in the Dandelion TP remind us how we resist change, create legends, and
transform dreams into reality.
Rating 10/10
This review originally appeared on Comic Book Dispatch.
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