REVIEW: 'Trojan' #1 by Daniel Kraus, Laci, and Marco Lesko

 

Trojan #1 

by Daniel Kraus (W), Laci (A), Marco Lesko (C), 

Sal Cipriano (L), Jeff Dekal (CA), Mike Deodato, Jr. (Variant CA), 

Lee Loughridge (Variant CA)

In Stores: Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Diamond Code: NOV221313 (Dekal), 

NOV221314 (Deodato)

Once upon a time, we lived alongside Legends. Creatures of myth. Centaurs, fauns, gorgons, kelpies, gnomes, and more. They were spectacular. Majestic. Powerful. Peaceful. Pure. In comparison, we were ugly. Weak. Warmongering. Rotten. Is it any wonder we could not live alongside them any longer? After driving these Legends to the fringes of society, an uglier form of mythos takes shape in the form of rumors of live snuff shows for dark web high rollers. When a mysterious young woman, Nessa, enlists the help of a hacker to take a tour of the grisliest corners of the Dark Web, she sets in motion a war between those who peddle to mankind's darkest fantasies and a world that transcends imagination. Trojan is a fantasy thriller full of wonder and horror in equal measure. 

Score:

★★★★★ (5/5)

In 'Trojan,' Daniel Kraus, Laci, and Marco Lesko take readers to the depths of society's worst desires in a world that has driven beautiful creatures formerly of myth, into the shadows as they face a cruel and brutal hatred from heartless bigots. A beautiful young woman named Nessa enlists the help of a hacker to guide her through the ugliest corners of the dark web. This is a tale of fantasy and stark reality where even the most precious among us can't escape the horrors our world has to offer. 

In the opening pages, Kraus makes it crystal clear that the Fey are in danger and discriminated against. They've been marginalized and subject to brutal attacks by vicious humans. The world-building is expertly done because the reader is informed right at the beginning about who the Fey are and how they fit in this society. Nessa, by reaching out to Dirk, and through their interaction fills in all the relevant information you'd normally gain from a character's exposition. This seems more natural because Nessa serves as our guide through this dark and twisted journey. 

The real world can seem like an ugly place at times but most people don't know just how ugly it is. Nessa wants to see for herself just how perverse the world can be by seeking out the dark web. We've heard of the dark web but until you see it broken down by Dirk here, it should turn your stomach. Is there an allegory here using the Fey as a marginalized and victimized group? Yes, of course.

Discrimination and violence still occur to this day against minority groups so it's not a stretch to believe that if fauns, gorgons, kelpies, gnomes, and more existed they wouldn't be demonized in much the same way. And this is how Kraus lays the foundation for the story and sets up the stakes. You're not going to see the ending coming. The lengths someone will go to save someone in a society that doesn't take care of their own will resonate with readers. 

As far as the art goes, I can't imagine a better-designed or composed comic than 'Trojan.' Laci has the eye of a cinematographer where the framing of each scene has room to breathe and sets a mood. There's a grittiness to the street scenes and the violence is ramped up by merely choosing a perspective that elevates the sorrow and pain of it all. The sequencing is perfect and Marco Lesko provides such warm rich colors adding depth and a sense of dark despair that fits this world just right. When colors do burst there is a clear intention behind it. The last page is an example of it. 

'Trojan' offers a surprisingly dark take on the modern fantasy story with a tale that explores the fringes of the internet and the twisted things awaiting those who seek it. The tone is straight out of 1970s cinema like a 'Midnight Cowboy' or 'Taxi Driver' meets the denizens of 'Narnia.' It's sort of a mirror to our own world but unvarnished spotlighting the worst of human nature. 'Trojan' #1 is a spectacular debut offering an engrossing and disturbing story that stuns with tension, melancholy, and violence.