The Armory Wars, Volume 1: The Second Stage Turbine Blade: Second Stage Turbine Blade v. 1 (Amory Wars) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Obviously the other person who reviewed this product has never heard of "non-linear storytelling"...or of the visionaries Quentin Tarantino or David Lynch who make their living off of telling great and epic pieces using a non-linear format.

The story at this point is supposed to feel like there is something missing...thats because there is...the opening chapter has not been released to the public yet. Think in terms of Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction.
The story shows you the plot and gets you attached to the characters and then will go back and explain who you are really pulling for. (And if I'm not mistaken, the first one or two reveal a little about the past of the main characters) These comics begin telling the story at the beginning of the first album "The Second Stage Turbine Blade", which (as any true Coheed junky would know) is the second chapter in the story. (And it's not that hard to tell what chapter is what based on the albums. The number of the chapter is in the title of the album)

The reason for lack of text and lack of certain characters character development is because there is so much action and suspense building. These stories are building up to a very epic finale (don't want to say too much or ruin it). If anyone has any doubts on where this story is going, then read "Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Volume 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness". That graphic novel shows the beginning of the "end" of the story.

And as for the "simplicity" of the whole thing...i believe that if I were telling a story about a galactic apocalypse, androids, fallen angels, robots that can speak to "God", super powers, baby killing, tragic love stories, deceit, and over all Good v.s. Evil...i would HAVE to at least TRY to tell it in the simplest form possible just so i wouldn't lose the reader in a permanent state of confusion.
(on a side note...for more of a background on the story, there is a "sketchbook" that was released under the Amory Wars title that gives a background on each character and an "extended" look at the original opening of the story...)

Over all, the Amory Wars epic is a very new concept to the world...and, even though it seems to pair with other certain stories at times, it is very original in many ways. I believe it is too early to judge the overall story, but i believe we are in store for greater things.

The collected and the comics themselves get 5 stars!

*****

This is an excellent companion to go along with their albums. I chose this version over the individual comics because it gave me all 5 issues of The Second Stage Turbine Blade, Vol. 1, in one full book. Claudio (The Writer) is a very talented individual. I do not believe that anyone who is a fan of Co&Ca could be disappointed by this graphic novel.

The Second Stage Turbine Blade is the first part in a five part science fiction epic by Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez. The trade paperbacks for the SSTB is the comic book form of the story narrated by the album of the same name. The story is split across two trade paperbacks: volume 1 and volume 2. This is the trade paperback for volume 1.

This is the first chapter in the Amory Wars storyline, and it sets the stage for the rest of the books in the series. In terms of the chronology of the story this is actually the second chapter (similar to the original Star Wars trilogy starting at Part IV), so the story starts off running. The Amory Wars is set in the fictional universe of heavens fence, a series planets that are bound together by a an energy force known as the keywork.

In this story we are introduced to all of the key players of heaven's fence: The Kilgannon family including Coheed, Cambria, and in particular their son Coheed. Other than the primary human characters, Sanchez debuts the opposing forces of Wilhelm Ryan, the Supreme Tri-Mage and the Prise, a group of blue-skinned angelic warriors. While Claudio is interested in just being a kid, his world is shattered when the machinations of the supreme tri-mage come into direct conflict with the seemingly quiet family life of the Kilganon family. The Kilganons appear to harbor secretes of their own, each of Coheed, Cambria, and Claudio demonstrating various superhuman abilities. As the story progresses, the reader develops a sense that something big is brewing in future chapters.

In the Amory Wars, Sanchez demonstrates that his abilities extend past the world of music. This isn't just a great companion to the music, but an interesting stand-alone comic book as well. The world that develops within the Amory Wars is rich and interesting. The story has a good sense of development from the start; the first chronological chapter Year of the Black Rainbow seems to be well-conceived before it is ever penned. In other words, comic book fans who don't have an interest in the music will not be left behind. The books and the CDs are different artistic interpretations of the same story line, but one is hardly required in order to appreciate the other.

I would recommend this as a starting point for fans of the band that want to delve deeper into the mythos, or for fans of sci-fi comic books.