Got this a few weeks ago and just now getting to a review. I still haven't ordered paper copies, I may wait until the next one, but I did get a couple electronic copies of another work FEC puts out, Seven. It's pretty good, the black and white art isn't as energetic as Kranburn, but it's nice, and the writing is somewhat mystical.
My curiosity about how Kranburn would progress beyond the pages posted on the website was answered simply, the pages are done and the books are ahead of the website now. As of now there are just a few pages in this book yet to appear on the site. If the book is published in June like I thought it would, only a couple of the pages will appear on the site before the book comes out.
The cover is another detailed portrait of some guy decked out in post-apocalyptic bohemian chic. A skull for a belt buckle and lucky rabbit's foot (and a big rabbit it was) complete the ensemble. Pretty cool.
This issue picks up with Sylvia driving down on the Nong they came across in their search, but they're unable to capture her. Back at the hideout, one of the captors decides it's time to get his rape in, but it goes "really badly". This is one of my least favorite parts of Kranburn. While it's another gleeful depiction of nasty (really nasty) violence, it's told in a plodding and even nonsensical manner. It may be that the violence is so horrible that I can't view it in a detached enough manner, or maybe it's just so ridiculous. Anyway, it's a minor issue with the storytelling, not so much the story.
The end of this part is interspersed with scenes of a Nong search party walking through a run-down city, wondering what is the deal with Lord and Brand, and reminiscing about times before the plague. Their stroll is interrupted, of course, by Brand's ambush, leading to their and the book's end. There's some silly humor here, and more ridiculousness. For example, the concrete cinder block with spikes driven through, points out, generated some website comments about how it could be done, but I just don't think it could be done without breaking the block.
My pointless annoyance at such minor bits doesn't detract from the overall quality of Kranburn. It's excellent. I still look forward to the next book(s?) and I will certainly get all of them on paper, as long as they come out before our own little apocalypse.
