THE CODEX/ Script by CORY CRATER/ Art by PABLO DE BONIS/ Colors by DAMIÁN PEÑALBA/ Letters by ADRIAN DELA CERNA/ Published by HAYBURNER STUDIOS

Tansky – a mechanic on the run from his past.

Anna – a mage and the last of her druid circle.

Konrad – a legendary soldier, cursed with radioactive immortality.

Ace – a cyborg dog that is more robot than dog now.

Four lost souls, struggling to survive. Four unlikely heroes, chosen by Fate. For the magical artifact called The Codex, which could save or doom their world, has fallen into their hands. Their quest will pit them against amoral mercenaries, magical monsters, greedy gangsters and the forces of Hell itself…

Parts of The Codex will likely seem familiar to fans of genre fiction. The central quest is straight out of Tolkien. The characters are the same jaded survivors found in most apocalyptic fiction. What makes The Codex special, however, is how it mixes and matches these elements in new ways.

Writer Cory Crater is like a Master chef, taking familiar ingredients and blending them into something unique. The world of Veroque has magically generated undead, beast-men, giant animals, robots, ghouls, and cyborgs, all scattered across a Mad Max style setting. The closest thing I can think of comparing it to is Fallout crossed with Shadowrun. The setting is as much a character as our protagonists, and just as interesting. Indeed, I wish there was an RPG supplement based on Veroque.

Crater introduces the world and the characters gradually, between action sequences. There is little in the way of exposition dumps or “as you well know” speeches. The characters all have reasons to not talk about their pasts, making it natural for their stories to finally come out around the campfire. We are shown more about the characters than we are told outright, even in the final pages.

The artwork is similarly obscured, but stylistically so. Pablo De Bonis’ style is suitably gritty for the apocalyptic setting. In some ways, his work reminds me of Mike Mignola, particularly his designs for the many mutant creatures populating the wasteland and his use of shadow. Darkness dominates the landscapes, which makes the foreground figures stand all the stronger. The colors of Damiàn Peñalba provide the perfect finishes to the art, adding to the stark beauty of the setting.

Bad timing prevented me from getting a hold of The Codex before its successful Kickstarter drive. I enjoyed it immensely, however, and cannot wait to see the second chapter. Fans of gritty science-fiction and fantasy looking for something new would do well to read The Codex.

The Codex is now available from Hayburner Studios.