Review by Luke Williams
Everybody likes a bit of cyberpunk don’t they? Well, Chrome Roses by Nero is a lot of cyberpunk.
Set in The Tract, a city built on the remains of a world devastated by a global pandemic, where human contact is monetised and regulated ostensibly to protect the population from disease.
This first of three issues is split into two chapters, and the project launches ahead of the Kickstarter for #2 soon (Set your brains to fry… er, be notified here).
In the first chapter, we follow Kramm, a lancer, or freelance detective, for what passes for the law in this world. In a hardboiled, noir-ish and action packed detective drama, Kramm is following up on the mysterious death of a truck driver, which leads him to one of the Chrome Roses of the title, a group of cyber terrorists / freedom fighters.
In the second, we see the results of what happens when depression, loneliness and despair meet the robotic augmentation of the human body. Fleshing out the backstory of the world in a tale of replacing body parts to make money, or to make yourself more efficient to make money.
Nero (aka Monty Nero) has created a world heavily indebted to recent events and developments in cyberspace. Extrapolating the evolution in social media, and where every household appliance and piece of furniture is sentient, where human relationships are turned into commodities to be bought and traded and where laws are enacted electronically by an absolute democracy, often on a whim.
The art style is very European. If you were to compare Nero with a UK artist, then it would be Dave Taylor on “Anderson, Psi Divison”, or the “Judge Dredd Megazine story, “Megatropolis”. Highly detailed, with the tech verging on the organic, monochrome pages with bluey green spot colour a cool, steely feel, while maintaining the noir atmosphere.
The advertising bumf describes it as Blade Runner meets Hellboy. I’m not sure about that latter comparison, though there are definite nods to the former. Though the bodymodding is more redolent of Warren Ellis’s work (particularly Transmetropolitan) and, by extension, the forementioned Mr. Gibson, with a touch of David Cronenberg / John Smith body horror.
It’s early days, but subtle it is not: cybernetically enhanced scantily clad babes, big set pieces with plenty of action and soundbites and a little on the nose, but it’s fun nonetheless. Plenty of interesting ideas, particularly in Chapter Two. An attention grabbing first issue, with the potential to develop into a great science fiction comic.
Luke Williams
• Sign up to be notified about the Chrome Roses #2 Kickstarter launch here
Monty Nero is a writer and artist published by Marvel (X-men and Hulk) Titan Publishing, Delcourt, DC and 2000AD. He has also self published three popular books in his Death Sentence series, and eighteen top selling comics, since 2010. His artwork, words or character concepts have enlivened games from Sony, Lego, Bethesda, and Electronic Arts , and his writing has been described as “easily the equal of Dostoyevsky or Dickens” (Popmatters) and “work that ranks up there with greats such as Alan Moore and Warren Ellis.” (How to Love Comics). He resides in Scotland, and is represented for written work by James Wills at Watson Little.
Death Sentence was co-created with Mike Dowling and named Dreamcage “comic of the decade” in 2019.
Monty is also the creator of the popular 1970s/80s Kids UK Facebook group (now 300,000 strong), has published academic papers on comics and pop culture, and was awarded a masters with distinction from Dundee University, where he won an academic prize.
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Brought up on a diet of Commando, British Boys Annuals and Asterix, Lucas Williams’s day job limits his reading time. Luckily for everyone else this also restricts his writing time.
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