Graphic Novel Review – Visitor in the Field (Rust, Volume 1) by Royden Lepp (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: All ages
Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Fiction
Size: 192 pages
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: December 13, 2011
ISBN: 978-1936393275
Stand Alone or Series: 1st volume in the Rust series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the first book in the Rust graphic novel science fiction series. The second book is, Secrets of the Cell, and is already out. I found this to be a surprisingly engaging book with an interesting story, and very well done sepia toned illustrations.

Roman is having a hard enough time supporting his family farm when a young boy with a rocket pack, Jet Jones, crashes in his field while being chased by a giant robot. Most of Roman’s family thinks Jet is trouble waiting to happen, but Roman thinks Jet might hold the key to fixing the farm and saving his family.

Roman is a young man just trying to make ends meet on the family farm. He is practical and also willing to do whatever he has to to help out his family.

Jet Jones is a mysterious young boy who at times comes off as much older than the young age he appears to be. He has awesome mechanical skills and is a great helper around the farm. Only problem is that he seems to draw trouble in the form of giant robots.

The whole setting is an interesting one. The world is obviously recovering from some sort of giant world war. As part of this war robots were trained to fight in place of mankind. The cause of this war and who was on what side is still a mystery at this point in the book. The fact that the story is set on a farm gives the story a nostalgic feel, but then you have all of the robots that Roman is trying to rebuild in his barn and that adds a sci-fi twist to the whole thing.

The illustration is wonderful. All of the illustrations are done in sepia tones, again this gives a nostalgic feel to the story. The drawings are detailed, realistic, and portray emotion very well. They were easy to follow and told a lot of the story all on their own.

This volume ends with some huge questions unanswered. Who exactly is Jet? What happened to this world?

Overall I really really enjoyed this graphic novel. It was an entertaining read with excellent world-building, engaging characters, an interesting story, and wonderfully done illustrations. Highly recommended to those who enjoy graphic novels especially novels in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. I will definitely be picking up Secrets of the Cell.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge