The internet is full of some very dark places and corners. While there’s lots of fantastic experiences, there’s also some things that are best to not discuss. Trojan #1 seems to want to go there. The comic focuses on Nessa who hires a hacker to take her on a tour of the dark web. She’s on a mission to find something… snuff films. For those unaware, they’re videos where people are killed for the enjoyment of others. It’s a very taboo subject and this debut’s build to the revelation is the intriguing aspect. And then it gets a little nauseous.
Written by Daniel Kraus, Trojan #1 is an intriguing start that in the end is about a woman trying to raise money to help her mother. She’s just willing to die to make that happen. That in itself is an intriguing story but this debut goes in a direction that pushes limits. I’m pretty liberal, but this is something I’m not sure I’m even willing to read about.
But, Kraus has created an interesting world and with that world a lot of interesting stuff. This is a world where magical beings exist. Those beings, called Fey, are abused and tortured because of what they are and for entertainment. Videos of their torture are popular and live streamed for people to pay to watch. All of that creates an interesting discussion about how we treat people in our world and how we see “other”. There’s a dip into internet fame due to the abuse of others. While it’s an underlying concept, I’m not sure it’s where the series will go.
Trojan #1 features art by Laci with color by Marco Lesko and lettering by Sal Cipriano. It depicts a dark and dirty world, a rundown city, that will make you feel dirty like the topic of the comic itself. There’s something about that art that feels like it hides the even darker underlying world, it sucks you in much like Nessa’s initial trip into the dark web. It adds to a comic you might need to give yourself a wash after reading.
Trojan #1 is an intriguing concept that’s a lot of shock. It’s definitely one to go into know what to expect, it’s absolutely not for the faint of heart.
Story: Daniel Kraus Art: Laci
Color: Marco Lesko Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Story: 8.3 Art: 8.3 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy
AWA Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle
