Dune: House Harkonnen #1 is published by BOOM! Studios, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Michael Shelfer, coloured by Patricio Delpeche and lettered by Ed Dukeshire.
Issue #1 is available 18th January 2023 either directly from BOOM! Studios online or from your local comic book store, digital copies will be available to download from the usual content providers.
Synopsis
Fans will gain insight into how the early years of iconic figures Gurney Halleck, Lady Jessica, and Liet Kynes had their future shaped by the complex and brutal machinations of House Harkonnen! What difficult choices will tear Leto Atreides apart as Baron Harkonnen plots against not just House Atreides, but the Bene Gesserit and the Emperor himself?
Review
In this issue we see a bit of a prequel as we get the back story around the different conflicts between the different houses and what caused them. The early years of iconic characters are explained indepth that begins to lay the foundations for the main story, battle lines are drawn as tensions begin to grow between once close alliances. A story of wealth divisions and resentment tells how a once close community is beginning to simmer below the surface and the different factions are beginning to want to make a change and stand up and be counted.
I’m a fan of the Dune world and the stories that come from it, this particular introduction to a new prequel series I found a little difficult to follow at first as it seemed to be made up different shorter stories and it kind of jumped around the book, however the writing was faultless the workings of Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson have allowed the reader to delve a little deeper into the backstory of an iconic world, I look forward to reading more from this story arc that would make the various veins of story make more sense.
The illustrations from Michael Shelfer create a mysterious feel as the tones create an indepth experience that captures your imagination, the colours from Patricio Delpeche allow the illustrations to pop off the page and allow the reader to become enthralled in the Dune world.
The main cover has probably the most amazing illustrations I have seen, the artwork from Raymond Swanland is one of the best I’ve seen and really captures the overall feel of the story.
Verdict
A slightly disjointed story that did get a little lost. But I am hopeful the next issue will tie up any loose ends. Artwork was next level, the story seems to be more of a foundational layer rather than a groundbreaker.
⭐⭐⭐½
