Dune has long been one of the most popular sci-fi works of all time. Frank Herbert’s classic novel spawned a universe of spin-offs, and was the basis of the critically acclaimed Dune and Dune: Part Two. Herbert created a complex universe with his story and Herbert’s six Dune books are more about human nature, politics, and ecology than they are space battles. However, one of the most interesting parts of the Dune universe is the way that it drops readers into the deep end of its narrative and reveals more and more its universe as time goes on. Dune doesn’t hold the reader hand and lead them through its story, and the movies followed suit.
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Fans of the Dune universe love the sense of discovery that comes from experiencing it. For fans who want a more complex sci-fi experience, Image Comics has one of the best sci-fi comics ever written — Prophet, by Brandon Graham, Simon Roy, Farel Dalrymple, Giannis Milogiannis, Joseph Bergin III, Lin Visel, Paul Davey, Ron Ackins, Ed Brisson, and Ariana Maher. Prophet grew out of the one of the most maligned superhero lines of all time, and it’s perfect for Dune fans who want something different from sci-fi as a genre.
Prophet Takes Reader on a Journey They Never Imagined
The origins of Prophet stretch back to the beginning of Image Comics. Writer/artist Rob Liefeld, one of the chief agitators that led to the Image Seven leaving Marvel, created his own Extreme Studios imprint of comics. Extreme was based around the book Youngblood, a team comic starring a rather generic group of “cool” superheroes, and Prophet was introduced in the second issue. He was the cliche soldier from the future come back to stop something terrible from happening, and eventually graduated to his own book, which became a bestseller in the beginning of the run. However, like most Extreme books, it wasn’t known for its adroit writing; it was all style, no substance, and that style wasn’t cool for that long. Prophet ended with issue 20 and very few people thought about it again.
In 2012, though, Prophet returned with its 21st issue. For fans who had read the original series, this book was completely new. It began with a pod digging up from underground and John Prophet coming out of it. He takes in his surroundings, on an Earth that was very different from the one that he expected, checks his equipment, and embarks on the “mission”, which is to find his way to the Thauili Van towers and reawaken the Earth Empire. Readers are inundated with new alien races and their technology, learning as the story goes on just why Earth is home to so many aliens and the fate of the few humans we see. After his mission is complete, the book jumps to another planet, one where another Prophet has awakened thanks to the message sent from the Thauili Van towers and goes about his mission. The next follows a group of Prophets, each one slightly different than the other, and in the 26th issue, readers are introduced to the hero of the story, Old Man Prophet.
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The first twelve issues of Prophet are all worldbuilding, and there is a lot to build. There are multiple Prophets because the original John Prophet was a near perfect supersoldier and the Earth Empire made him and his clones into their backbone. Readers learn about the history of the Earth Empire and its fall at the hands of Old Man Prophet. The reawakened Earth Empire sees Old Man Prophet prepare for war again, gathering allies new and old to counteract the power of the resurgent Earth Empire. Links are constructed to the old ’90s Extreme comics, as readers learn about the fate of the members of the Youngblood and the roles they played in the evolution of humanity and the Earth Empire. Characters like Diehard, Badrock, Lady Supreme, Troll, and several others play big roles in the story as well, but the book makes sure that if the readers knows nothing about those older Image comics, they won’t miss anything.
Much like Dune, Prophet takes it story in some brilliant directions that readers would never be able to guess. The book’s revelations lead to a greater and greater understanding of the setting and characters, but even as it reveals its secrets, Prophet always feels like there’s more out there than just what readers can see. Much like Dune, it feels like it’s a living breathing universe full of beings and powers out there doing their own thing. Dune has the Bene Gesserit, Prophet has the Earth Mothers. Dune has mysteries of the sandworms’ origin, Prophet has the mysterious evolution of McCall’s Children. While Prophet isn’t as deeply philosophical as Dune — its narrative is rather simple despite a late stage twist — but the depth of its universe brings it to Dune‘s level.
Prophet Takes Readers On An Epic Journey
Dune is one of those seminal works of sci-fi that doesn’t always work for everyone. To truly enjoy it, one has to realize that they aren’t going to understand everything that’s going on right away. Prophet is exactly the same way. The story’s charm comes from the way it unfolds, each new facet answering questions and leading to the next one. Much like Dune, Prophet isn’t trying to tell a story the exact same way as every other sci-fi story out there, it’s trying to tell its own story, and that makes all the difference.
Prophet is a journey and that what makes it such a perfect sci-fi experience. It’s a work of amazing imagination, created by a team of writers and artists working at the top of their game. It’s an epic in every sense of the word. Anyone who loves Dune, or even just loves more complex sci-fi, should give Prophet a try.
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