The Wheel Of Worlds Is A One-Of-A-Kind Premise

Written by Ian Edginton. Art by I.N.J. Culbard. Lettered by Ellie De Ville. Published by Rebellion.

The pages of the 2000 AD anthology are filled with an array of genre fusions. Genres, subgenres, and concepts blend together in unexpected ways, creating distinctive and fascinating concoctions. One of these is Brass Sun, Ian Edginton and I.N.J. Culbard‘s science fantasy steampunk adventure. Launched in 2012, the serial is a 2010s fan-favourite, thanks to a unique premise and sense of adventure. And it’s never been a better time to discover Brass Sun, with Rebellion reprinting the series in a new trade dress this week.

Brass Sun’s world is an orrery. A mechanical model of the solar system, known as “The Wheel of Worlds”, albeit blown up to massive scale. In the centre of the system is a brass sun that drives the gears that allow the various planets to revolve around it. However, while it was prosperous, conflict and climate change caused by the slowing of The Wheel of Worlds’ gears mean these worlds are dying. A girl named Wren has been tasked with finding all the parts of the key that can help fix The Wheel of Worlds and bring it back to its former glory. Adventure awaits on numerous worlds as she and her party encounter, getting drawn into power struggles, sky-based mercenaries, and more.

The orrery gives Brass Sun’s world its steampunk foundations. It’s powered by gears, with planets attached to branches and poles to rotate around its sun. I.N.J. Culbard gives readers a good look at it early on with a rare for 2000 AD two-page spread (2000 AD comics are serialised in ~5-page increments, meaning they tend to be very economical with how they use their allotted pages) that showcased its immense scale. However, each world has its own theming that steps away from traditional steampunk, leaning a bit more into science-fantasy. At the same time, there are tangential connections to steampunk, with one world heavily featuring airships and another being more industrial through a Victorian lens. At the same time, the comic is not married to this connection. For instance, the comic’s adventure begins on a planet featuring icy Art Deco. There’s plenty of variation throughout without it feeling like a hodgepodge.

This trade paperback collects the first three stories. The opener, The Wheel of Worlds, serves multiple purposes. It establishes the comics’ baseline lore, introduces core characters, and kickstarts the adventure.

The lore comes thick and fast, with Ian Edginton’s script introducing the world’s background and foundation. Some of it is communicated through religious rhetoric, other times through discussion, and in one instance through shadow puppets. This story was serialised in 12 parts, so the lore was dished out in smaller weekly increments. In the trade paperback collection, some may feel like it is too much at once – especially if lore is not your jam. However, once the essentials are established, the comic moves forward much more than it does looking back.

With that, we’re introduced to Wren and Conductor Seventeen. Both are resourceful in their own way. However, nothing can really prepare them for the unknown. While there’s some conflict – Wren is known to be easily frustrated, while Conductor Seventeen is more bookish (with a monk-like appearance) – they grow as a team and learn to work well with one another, giving them a better chance at tackling what the various worlds throw at them.

The second arc, The Diamond Age, expands Brass Sun’s world, exploring two new worlds. Through this exploration, readers meet new characters as the party expands. These characters make Brass Sun feel bigger, introducing readers to new challenges and story opportunities. Overall, the comic feels much larger as we experience locales and their wrinkles.

For these two story arcs, I.N.J. Culbard implements his signature crisp linework. These provide form that feels organic when depicting characters and certain environments but can also be rigid for architecture and similar elements. For the former, this allows emotion to highlight expression, elevating scenes. The rigidity, on the other hand, adds weight to the locations that, combined with scale, communicate their enormity. These are all accompanied by a colouring method that uses flat colours accentuated with subtle gradients. This technique makes the world feel richer, using different tones for different worlds, while also adding volume to the art.

The third arc gives Brass Sun further propulsion. A handful of story elements move the overall story forward and open up future possibilities. Visually, it’s the most distinct part of the comic, with Culbard changing up his style. I couldn’t find a specific reason why, but looking at his creator credits from circa 2014 indicates to me that he may have overextended himself – balancing Brass Sun with graphic novel work and multiple American projects. As a result, the linework is looser, which may indicate working at a faster pace than usual. Sometimes this means characters’ expressions get lost in the linework. Culbard also implements more spot blacks than usual. These contrast against the more fluorescent colour palette chosen for this story, which matches the gassy environments. While the different implementation of linework and colours can feel jarring between stories, the storytelling is still a high standard, with clean page layouts and a strong sense of scale that makes it an easy read.

Overall, Brass Sun’s blend of steampunk and science fantasy is a winning combination. It’s a one-of-a-kind genre fusion that’s rich with lore and adventure. Despite being a little tough on the third arc’s art, visually, the comic looks great. Culbard knows how to use scale and weight to communicate the enormity of the comic’s world, while also giving each planet its own visual identity. If that all sounds like your jam, then Brass Sun is your passport to exciting new worlds.

Brass Sun Volume 1: The Wheel of Worlds is available in all good comic book shops, online retailers, eBay, Amazon, and the 2000 AD webshop.