DUNE: TALES FROM ARRAKEEN HC: Honor & Loss

What follows is a combination of reviews previously done for the single-issue releases of the stories contained in this hardcover trade with additional notes on any extra’s the hardcover may contain.

DUNE: BLOOD OF THE SARDAUKER

Acts of honor among men of honor is the driving theme in this entertaining vignette. Herbert and Anderson transport us to the night of the attack on House Atreides on Arrakis seen through the eyes of one of the Padishah Emperor’s elite fighting men, known as the Sardauker: Jopati Kolona. They weave an entertaining and credible history for the Sardauker lieutenant with the bloody night House Atreides falls. It accurately captures several themes that are present in the original books if you read them as it explores familiar territory from an alternative perspective and viewpoint. That’s perhaps my favorite thing about the story itself is the nods to those themes.

Things like the Honour of the Atreides, the deadly capability of the Sardauker as a fighting force forged on the hell planet of Salusa Secondus, and The plotting, and machinations of the imperial court. These are all themes that are spoken about and form part of Frank Herbert’s original set of books (Salusa features quite prominently in Children of Dune…I see you Adam Gorham and your Laza Tigers) and it’s gratifying to see the story stick to those while providing this small additional piece of canon at a time when a great many new people will be introduced to the mythology of Dune through the recently released DUNE movie.

Ultimately Jopati’s story is fairly straightforward but its impact in the grand scheme of things is huge if you choose to acknowledge the fact that his act of saving a certain Ginaz Sword Master is what ultimately saves Paul and Jessica if you place it on the same timeline as the rest of the books. The journey of watching Jopati’s hate become grudging respect as he learns that his hate for House Atreides was misplaced is worth the price of admission alone. This is the story of men of honor and how those men often have to serve men who are without honor and how they must serve the will of those masters yet still commit acts of defiance in the name of honor for a debt unknown to anyone but themselves.

It’s a thumbs up for the art as Adam Gorham brings the Imperium to life. I am a huge fan of Gorham’s art since he wowed us with New Mutants: Dead Souls and this one-shot does nothing to disabuse me of that opinion. Gorham along with the colorist Patricio Delpeche captures the worlds of this universe exceptionally well, from the sandy streets of Arakkeen to the bright lights of planet Kaitain to the bleakness of Salusa Secondus to the newly revealed world of Borhees, they paint a believable universe recognizable from the writings of Frank Herbert himself.

Gorham does close-quarters action just as well as the big spreads and knows how to pack punch into both the close combat panels and the scenes of violence with dynamic paneling and strong facial expressions in the close-ups. Delpeche uses a full spectrum of color to accentuate the mood of the moment we find ourselves in. Dark mauves and reds during the violence and bright harsh yellows and browns on Salusa Secodus are examples of how color adds psychological impact to everything Gorham is doing with the line art. Ed Dukeshire is rock solid on lettering and of course, Jeff Dekal’s cover is as usual a thing of “frame and put on your wall” glory. just a note: the main cover from this issue is not shown before the story but is the first cover in the cover gallery section toward the end of the book.

DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS

The Battle of Arrakeen is again the focus of this second story. This time however the tale is told not from the point of view of the attackers but rather that of some members of the beleaguered Atreides forces who are backed into a corner after the vicious attack finds them trapped in the caverns in the shield wall.

It’s a grim tale but at the same time, poignant as an Atreides Captain Hoh Vitt formerly of the
fallen House of Jongleur gives what little succor he can to the doomed men he leads including his injured nephew in the form of master storytelling that can transport their imaginations
away from the dire situation they find themselves in. Herbert and Anderson create a mood of
deep desperation. It thoroughly drives the point home that the Atreides forces were never truly prepared for the harsh planet they were sent to and that leaving Caladan behind made them the literal fishes out of water…and we all know what happens to those.

The brief insight into the idea of House Jongleur and the idea of the power in storytelling and
the ability to capture the conscious and unconscious imagination of one’s listeners to the point
of being able to use storytelling as a weapon is fascinating and I would love to see a comic
about the fallen house at some point.

Jacob Rebelka whose work I am familiar with from the sci-fi series ORIGINS is on art duties.
Rebelka has a very different art style from the artists that have been working on the other comics but there is a pleasing consistency to the look and feel. The Harkonen uniforms match the art in the previously mentioned DUNE: BLOOD OF THE SARDAUKAR #1. Rebelka’s painted style brilliantly captures the brutality of the Arrakeen attack, the cruelty of the Harkonnen forces, and their surprise artillery bombardment so unexpected in an era of Lasguns and Shield. Rebelka’s deep angry reds burn the city of Arakkeen even as he smartly contrasts the desperate muted blacks and browns of the soldiers stuck in the cave with the beautiful foam topped blues and vibrant colors of the life filled world of Caladan as Captain Vitt does his master storytelling, sweeping his men away from the harshness of the world they are trapped on. The contrast is startling and while Rebelka’s work skews toward the abstract in many places it never breaks down fully with harder lines (especially with the human characters) and the place where he finds that balance makes for a gorgeously rendered comic that is a study in contrast that ultimately lifts the very grim subject matter to something I would definitely read again.

Jeff Dekal’s main cover is as always a work of art that could (and should) hang in an art
museum somewhere and the single issue striking cover with its striking blue and dramatic lighting is repurposed as this hardcover editions main cover. Ed Dukeshire does some awesome sound effect work, especially with the BOOM of the artillery, and all in all it’s a stylishly packaged whole which helps with the rather
morose nature of the tale.

Extras include a cover gallery for all the variant covers from the two stories in the book as well as several process pages featuring the script to page process which showcases how the artists bring the script they are given to life. I like the blue-themed design that permeates the book which contrasts with the orange of the Prelude to Dune: House Atreides hardcover.