I was very excited for the new Dune movie that was going to be coming out this year. Everyone involved seemed to be a fan of the books, the studio had pulled out all the stops when it came to money, and the trailer looked awesome.
We were going to get a massive, glorious, and expensive attempt at translating Frank Herbert’s masterpiece into a movie, but sadly the pandemic put the brakes on anything new and fun this year. Still, the virus may have crippled the movie industry, but thankfully comics can still be made, bought, and enjoyed so instead we get a comic book tie in from BOOM! Studios.
To annoyingly modify a quote from the book: “The review must flow”.
Written by Brian J. Herbert and Kevin J. AndersonCover by: Jae Lee ad June Chung
Illustrated by Dev Pramanik
Colored by Alex Guimarares
Lettered by Ed Dukeshire
* Set in the years leading up the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Dune-which inspired the upcoming feature film from Legendary Pictures- DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES transports readers to the far future on the desert planet Arrakis where Pardot Kynes seeks its secrets.
* Meanwhile, a violent coup is planned by the son of Emperor Elrood; an eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho seeks to escape his cruel masters; and a young man named Leto Atreides begins a fateful journey.
* These unlikely souls are drawn together first as renegades and then as something more, as they discover their true fate – to change the very shape of history!
“Dune: House Atreides” #1 is the first of a twelve issue comic series that is a direct prequel to the upcoming movie. While the wicked and remarkably skinny Vladimir Harkonnen struggles to maintain adequate levels of spice production on the vital desert planet of Arrakis, the young and wide eyed Leto Atreidies is being groomed to rule over the planet Caladan by his loving mother: the Lady Helena, and his father: the jovial and energetic Paulus Atreidies. However, the main plot of the story line follows the current emperor Elrood IX, his current business and political troubles, and the violent ambitions of his son: the future Emperor Shaddam IV.
The Dune franchise is an incredibly dense series of books that deal with themes of power, control, family, and politics. However, that denseness has proven to be one of the biggest pitfalls when it comes to adapting Frank Herbert’s world to other forms of media, making it difficult to translate what makes the books so intriguing into movies and/or comics. While I’m not sure how much either writer had a hand in creating this particular comic, two things seem certain: the fact that Brian Herbert is Frank Herbert’s son gives him a definite familiarity with the source material while Kevin J. Anderson’s experience with writing comic books helps ensure that the individual issues don’t get bogged down in insignificant detail and ends on a solid cliffhanger. It’s a remarkably accessible book that feels familiar and informative at the same time. Even newcomers to the Dune franchise will be able to follow what’s going on and enjoy the story.
If the writing on “Dune: House Atreidies” #1 provides a solid foundation for the comic, then the artwork elevates it from good to great. Artist Dev Pramanik does an amazing job of giving the world of Dune a look that feels very futuristic, yet old at the same time. Yes, this is a world filled with interstellar travel, holograms, and energy shields, but it’s a world that runs off of archaic systems of government and incredibly ancient tradition. On top of that, Pramanik does a great job of bringing the world of this story back to its old pulp roots with his highly realistic portrayal of humans with old fashioned hairstyles and clothing while balancing that with the need to branch out with the artist’s desire to put their own spin on it.
On top of the excellent pencils, “Dune: House Atreides” #1 also has excellent colors provided by Alex Guimarares. The weird and wonderful lines and angles of the tech and costumes is complemented by gorgeous swathes of color that make the whole book glow with rich blues, golds, and purples that pop off the page and give the whole thing a deep and rich lived in feel. The whole thing looks like a well produced B movie pulp story, which is fitting for the book’s roots and makes the whole thing gorgeous to look at.
Continued belowWhile “Dune: House Atreides” #1 is an excellent book, it does have two weaknesses. First, it’s that there doesn’t appear to be that much of a difference between the desert planet of Arakkis, the capital planet of Kaitain, and the ocean planet of Caladan. It’s not that big of a problem since most of the story is told through close ups and mid shots of the characters, but since this is a series where ecology and environment are major themes, it feels like it could have benefited from shots that make each planet feel different. The second weakness is a bit more personal and will depend on how you feel about adaptations. It seems that this comic book is a pretty straightforward adaptation of the 1999 prose novel of the same name and while it isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it would have been nice to see what a comic book could have done differently. Still, these are very small nitpicks in the grand scheme of things and shouldn’t detract from enjoying this book.
“Dune: House Atreides” #1 is an excellent comic book and a great lesson in how to adapt a prose novel into comic book form while keeping everything that made the book great while not getting bogged down in minutiae. Even though it’s a prequel and we know who will survive and rule, it’s still a lot of fun to see where everyone started off and how they rose to the powerful nobles, warriors, and characters they will become.
Final Verdict: 9.4- A very well produced and gorgeous comic adaptation that manages to provide just the right amount of fan service while not being too intimidating for newcomers.
