If you are familiar with the tropes of dystopian science-fiction, you know that the road to a hellish future begins with the false promise of a pleasant one. No matter what good intentions there might be, whether from leaders or innovators, humanity would have to embrace the future or suffer from it. This is what is at the core of Dandelion from Sabir Pirzada, a writer on Marvel Studios shows Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight.
Collaborating with nine artists, Pirzada tells a series of short stories, taking place in a world where a new civilization is formed in the skies, thanks to humanity’s latest chilling invention: The Dandelion, created by Jen Nakamuto. To quote from the book: “Vagrants, immigrants with asylum, and workers displaced by post-labor automation were sent to the skies to live out their lives in these Dandelions. They were known as EXILES.” And in case you missed this description, don’t worry, it gets said numerous times.
It is always the case with these collections of sci-fi short stories, that they feel more like a vehicle to present interesting ideas, whether it is technological advancement or the fear of our human rights, which is why Dandelion is a mixed bag. Considering the short length of these narratives, some of which acknowledge one another, the characters themselves don’t leave much of an impression, whether it is the two shooters that go on a murdering rampage on everyone at a hedge fund, or a bunch of young hipsters who violate the Dandelion rules and get punished for it.
Image Comics
Not all the stories are without merit. For example, the one about the inventor Jen Nakamuto herself includes some character development as she locates her missing son, who supposedly ruined their family legacy. This story sets up the actual origins of the Dandelion. On the other hand, the story of the married couple Reggie and Amy Alexander, trying to adjust to their new life in the skies after a car accident changed their lives irrevocably, suffers from a disconnect due to the odd decision to split the story up and revisit it later. If more pages were dedicated to these narratives, without one-off vignettes interrupting, Dandelion would benefit from enhanced world-building and a more emotionally engaging read.
Despite having too many short tales, Dandelion allows for a variety of different art styles from Martín Morazzo, Vanesa Del Rey, Eric Koda, Roy Allan Martinez, Gegé Schall, Thomas Campi, Adrian Rivero and Marquis Rogers that showcase the beauty and horror of this futuristic world, where the Dandelions themselves are a unique design. Each of these artists delivers their own quirks from Adrian Rivero’s heavily detailed art, to Vanesa Del Rey’s dark and gritty illustrations.
Despite its good intentions, backed up with interesting sci-fi ideas and impressive work from all the artists, Dandelion doesn’t have the dramatic depth it seems to think it does.
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