Review: Rammur
Dommie loves you.
Who is Dommie? That would be Dominaytra, also known as 'Big Sister', head of the Global Freedom Authority. As the GFA is the world government, she is effectively the ruler of the planet. Her statues are everywhere, but the woman herself is elusive. Does she even exist, or is she just a symbol, a personification of the totalitarian regime that controls the populace?
Rammur does not give it much thought, to be honest. All he really cares about is his work. He is a professional thief, aided in his exploits by his 'fusion rig', a wearable contraption incorporating wrist blasters and jet boots.
Being able to fly is a definite plus when it comes to being a career criminal. In this brave new dystopia, however, the police are also airborne. Not only that, but being robots ('Ruptors') they are ruthlessly efficient.
In Rammur by writer Charles Santino and artists Paulo Peres, Andrew Wendel and Joe Stanton, the emphasis is on action right from the beginning. Our (more anti- than super-) hero is a square-jawed macho renegade who lets nothing stand in his way. No sentimentalist, he dispatches anyone who crosses him in very cold blood. If you like rooting for Marvel's Punisher with his lack of moral constraints, you will love this guy too.
Issue 1 is a collection of self-contained shorts set in the GFA-controlled world in which, of course, control is far from absolute and underground criminality is rife. Effigies of Big Sister (a cute nod to Orwell) gazes down upon the proletariat with the stern, admonishing gaze of a benevolent but harsh goddess. There is something of the female robot from Fritz Lang's Metropolis about the matriarchal figure, further emphasizing the theme of struggles under the boot of oppression. For the reader this offers a mitigation for the brutality of the protagonist.
Rammur is drawn with retro exaggerated brawn, almost reminiscent of a rough-hewn labourer from a Soviet era propaganda poster. The 90s cartoon style pops off the page but is contrasted with the dark themes of the narrative. How long can Rammur stay one step ahead of the authorities? Is the enigmatic Dommie just a figurehead to cower the masses, or will she turn out to be the big man's nemesis?
Rammur: The Corvus Trilogy, Part 1 on Amazon
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