Titan Books has published a graphic novel collection titled Life is Strange: Dust Volume 1 available from numerous online retailers and high street book stores. Can the four issues collected together in Life is Strange: Dust Volume 1 deliver what it sets out to by producing a graphic novel sequel to the smash hit original season of the episodic Life is Strange videogame?
Life is Strange is a third-person story driven episodic adventure available via retail stores as a complete season limited edition and digitally on home consoles and PC. Life is Strange was critically acclaimed from the outset; winning such awards as New Game IP on consoles or PC and Use of Narrative at Develop Industry Excellence Awards; Best Adventure and Best Original Game at Global Game Awards; and Games for Impact at The Game Awards 2015. The episodic narrative of Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a prequel developed by Deck Nine to Dontnod Entertainment’s five episode award-winning season, while Dontnod Entertainment was extremely busy crafting the exceptional third-person action adventure Vampyr before the free to download Life is Strange: Season 2 prequel episode The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit leading into the development of the much anticipated Life is Strange: Season 2.
Life is Strange: Dust Volume 1 is in genuinely experienced hands as it is written by Emma Vieceli having previously written Doctor Who, Back to the Future and Breaks graphic novels; complimented by interior art by Claudia Leonardi and colour art by Andrea Izzo based upon an original story and characters by Raoul Barbet, Jean-Luc Cano and Michel Koch at Dontnod Entertainment. Meanwhile, lettering is provided by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s, alongside Jimmy Betancourt.
Life is Strange’s Dust graphic novel collection is a sequel to the first season of the episodic story driven Life is Strange by Dontnod Entertainment. Dust follows on an entire year from an ending of the first Life is Strange season that seen Max let Arcadia Bay be destroyed, while lead protagonists Max Caulfield and Chloe Price have made a life together, but time itself is seemingly preventing them from living without their own troubles or concerns.
Quality of writing is absolutely worthy of praise as it not only creates an original story continuation following on from one of the endings of Dontnod Entertainment’s first season, but also appropriately encapsulates the tone of characters, friendships and relationships from the first season of Life is Strange. For instance, Chloe Price randomly calls Max; Maximus or Super Max because she feels like it, while there is a scene fairly early on in the first chapter in which Max Caulfield and Chloe Price show support for a friend’s band that is performing a concert with a fancy dress theme were everyone has to be a pirate that is certainly a throwback to Life is Strange related subject matter.
Life is Strange: Dust Volume 1’s presentation is incredible from the front cover onwards with an emotional front cover that immediately depicts Max and Chloe’s strong unbreakable bond as they hold hands when walking through the rubble of Arcadia Bay, alongside a back cover that shows Max and Chloe gazing into each other’s eyes in another illustration of how close the two lead characters are. Elsewhere, the artwork by Claudia Leonardi and colour art by Andrea Izzo throughout the graphic novel collection is sublime as it is accurate to the likeness of Max and Chloe from the episodic videogame, while the lettering during the introduction to each chapter and dialogue between characters that is courtesy of Richard Starkings, Comicraft’s and Jimmy Betancourt is also amazing in a thought provoking and stylish fashion.
Life is Strange: Dust Volume 1’s value originates from fans of Life is Strange wanting to see a continuation of Max and Chloe’s story after the finale of a specific ending of the first season of Life is Strange. Four issues of the Dust graphic novels are combined into a single complete volume with each issue presented as an individual chapter totalling to 112 pages.
Analysis – Title: Life is Strange: Dust Volume 1 Graphic Novel Collection – Writer: Emma Vieceli – Art: Claudia Leonardi (Art), Andrea Izzo (Colour Art) and Richard Starkings, Comicraft’s and Jimmy Betancourt (Lettering) – Publisher: Titan Comics – Length: 112 pages – Cover: Paperback
Life is Strange: Dust Volume 1 graphic novel collection can be purchased in the UK from Amazon and Forbidden Planet and digitally at ComiXology, while Life is Strange: Dust Volume 1 graphic novel collection can be purchased in America and Canada from Amazon and digitally at ComiXology.
Jason plays all genres of games and enjoys all different kinds of experiences that the games industry has to offer. Jason's favourite PlayStation exclusive franchises throughout various eras include: Crash Bandicoot, God of War, Gran Turismo, inFamous, Killzone, Little Big Planet, MotorStorm, Resistance, Spyro the Dragon, Uncharted, Wipeout and various games that never became big name franchises. A special mention goes to Black Rock's superb Split Second: Velocity as it is rather unbelievable that it will never receive a sequel.
Jason now mainly plays modern PlayStation games on home console and portably, but occasionally returns to the old retro classics on the 3DO, PS1 and PS2 such as discovering Cool Spot Goes to Hollywood 20 years after its original release on PS1. Jason is happy to see gaming coming full circle with updates for retro classics such as Alien Breed, Superfrog and Crash Bandicoot.
