One of the trademarks of Archaia’s plineof graphic novels was that all their books have been published in hardcover—a look that Boom! stuck with after acquiring the publisher. And the result was a series of gorgeous books, from Return of the Dapper Men to Cursed Pirate Girl.
But sometimes a more affordable paperback edition is a good idea. So Royden Lepp’s Rust: The Boy Soldier will be the first in a series of paperbacks from Boom!/Archaia. The book collects the prelude stories from the first three original graphic novels (Rust: Visitor in the Field, Rust: Secrets of the Cell, and Rust: Death of the Rocket Boy) and presents them in a new reading order and adds a never-before-seen prelude from the upcoming fourth Rust: Soul in the Machine (2017). The price is an affordable $10.99. Visitor in the Field will be reprinted in paperback later in 2016.
Rust is a good pick to launch this line as it has a very approachable and all-ages friendly storyline about Jet, a boy-like robot who arrives on a farm one day and befriends the human son, Roman as both become embroiled in a massive war. It’s in the tradition of Iron Giant/Astro Boy/Descender and a fine addition to that genre.
“With the fourth volume of Rust on the horizon, we want this softcover program to get existing readers excited all over again, plus invite new readers into this fantastic world that Royden has created,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon of the new format. “Rust: The Boy Soldier is a great gateway for those not familiar with the story of Jet Jones the robot boy, and I think the never-before-seen prelude from the fourth volume is the perfect reason for longtime fans to pick it up!”
