Solid read, fun story, and interesting artwork.
Not familiar of the series before reading this but definitely interested in it now.

This is a beautiful graphic novel.

I loved the images in this story. It has a sepia colour scheme, which gives it a flashback quality to it. The artist was able to convey perspective very well. Some parts would be in focus while the rest of the panel was out of focus, making it look three dimensional.

I also like the way this story shows the consequences of using artificial intelligence in war. Jet has a conscience so he feels bad about what he does, leading him to wonder if he should continue fighting in the war.

After I read this book, I discovered it is the prequel to a series. It was a quick read but I understood it without that background information. I will have to look for the rest of the series!

I quite like this book. I liked the art and the slow delivery. The story reveals itself over time. A bit choppy in narrative, but a promising title non the less.

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, this is a prequel to the Rust series. It tells the story of Jet Jones during the war prior to the opening of the series. The portion collected here is part of the other four volumes, but presented chronologically. Jet discovers that he has a weapon built into his body and struggles with what that means for him as a person.

I like the way this book is put together. It is mostly told without words, which makes it a quick read. But the harshness of the war and Jet's reaction to it are presented very well through the images alone. The art is excellent at capturing those elements. The illustrations are in sepia tone to play on the idea that this takes place a long time before the main chunk of the series.

As much as I liked these portions, I felt a little lost reading this volume. It raised a lot of questions for me about who Jet is, what caused the war, and some of the technology involved. I think this would be better having more familiarity with the overall story and world. It definitely piqued my interest about Jet and his tale. I'd recommend reading the first volume and circling back to this one.

I'm giving it a 2.5 outta 5. As it is a prologue I feel a reader would need to be more familiar with the previously released editions to understand the where's/what's/who's. I feel there is not too much I can say about this because not too much happened, it felt very drawn out at times, but again that's probably because it's a prologue, but still it didn't feel like it contained much information.
The art was very good, but I could pick holes in some of the elements of the story <spoiler>like if the cell contains his thoughts/memories/essence/intentions/er'thang, and he swapped it for a toaster's cell, does he not turn into a toaster and go along with the toaster's programming, for instance to return to base when not making toast?</spoiler>
I don't know, my advice is to read the first volume in the series before reading this prologue and see if you can make more sense out it.

The prologues of the 4 Rust books are collected together in a linear manner for the first time. A visually stunning story set during an alternate World War I (I'm guessing because there are doughboys) where both sides also have robots. Jet Jones is a boy robot version of the Rocketeer who is floored by his destructive power during a battle and runs away. Told in sepia tone with an animation style in a mostly wordless manner, I found myself enthralled to the art. I ordered the other Rust books from the library as soon as I finished this.

Lovely artwork, but very sparse on story. I expect the first volume of anything to leave me with more questions than answers, but I also expect that first volume to make me want to have those questions answered. Reading "Rust: The Boy Soldier" I was left with tons of questions...but very little desire find the answers. Apparently Jet Jones is an android with special powers who was built to serve in a war at some point in the past, but he escaped and he's still around in the present and...? Unfortunately, this graphic novel didn't hook me in to its story. Would definitely recommend for fans of graphic novels, but I may wait for the release of an omnibus so I can get the full story.

A strong three, but this volume is really not a standalone. It works very well as a wartime Pinocchio adventure, with a boy cyborg complete with jet-pack being but one weapon in a large and ongoing war, concerning humans, other humans, and robotic walkers on both sides. Only at the end did I find it was actually an anthology of different prologues – you could have fooled me, considering it flows very well until the jump in years found near the end, but it definitely is a prologue in itself. At least there are four proper editions to go out and find, and if they have some of the character of these pages they will be worth the hunt, but it seems this is just a vanilla compilation acting as a background/advertisement for the rest. So caveat emptor, but be aware really good things might (or might not) appear in the real deal.

This was absolutely wonderful. Great story, wonderful illustrations, and Jet is awesome-- I would wholeheartedly recommend this for young and old alike!

I remember reading the first volume of Rust and feeling vaguely disappointed. I wanted it to be far more atmospheric and mysterious. It was pretty clear to me where the story was headed. At the same time, I really *wanted* to like it. I loved the muted, nearly sepia tone color palette. I loved the whole illustration style. And that's why I read this one. I want to love this story. I fee like it's one of those stories for which my affection will grow over time, as I read further volumes and get more of the story.

"Rust" is a quick read that sets up a story with a lot of potential. With a child-like main character and some fairly direct questions about identity and morality, it sets itself up for appeal to younger audiences. But the tone and themes of war add a gravity that could appeal to older readers as well. The visual style is effective, and this prequel does good work setting up what is to come. The only real downside is that the general plot is rather sparse and a tad familiar - which is not so much a criticism as it is an observation that this volume is designed with more to come.

'Rust: The Boy Soldier' written and illustrated by Royden Lepp is told mostly without words. It's also a steampunk type story crossed with an anime sort of sensibility.

Jet Jones is a robot who looks like a boy. He is fighting in a war that looks a lot like World War I. Add in more mechanical creatures and the kind of chaotic action of an ongoing war, and you've set the stage. Jet seems to be able to make autonomous decisions, and he doesn't necessarily like the things that he is being made to do. He decides to do something to change that.

It's colored in a sepia tone color, and I think that was a brilliant decision to set the mood. The look of this book and world are really interesting, and it's mostly wordless. The author/artist has made a compelling entry into this genre. I'd like to see more of what this character is capable of.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Archaia, BOOM! Studios, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Art is a bit bland, story relies too heavily on plain image and no dialogue/descriptions.

As I understand it, this volume collects all the previously released prologues for Rust Volumes 1-3 plus the prologue for the upcoming Volume 4 into one book. It tells the story of Jet, a robot designed for battle in a reimagined WWI with robots. After numerous deaths result from Jet making a choice to try and save an ally soldier, the robot starts to question his purpose and role in the war. The last part is 48 years later, and Jet has just started working for a family on a farm. He seems to be a skilled mechanic, but the young man he works with has a lot of questions about him.

Now I really need to get my hands on all the other Rust volumes. I’ve heard great things about them, which is why I requested this book on NetGalley. It reads like a mashup between <i>Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow</i> (largely thanks to the sepia tones and the reimagined history with robots) with touches of a superhero origin story. You can tell this book is pretty much just giving back story to the greater adventure that’s out there. (Did I mention I now need to get my hands on the other Rust volumes? The need is real.) Now let’s talk about the elephant in the middle of the room. Jet’s power cell that fits inside his chest is going to make most modern readers think of Iron Man. BUT he is different in that Jet is 100% machine struggling with a human-like mind, and for that matter, he’s probably got more heart and compassion than Iron Man would ever be in danger of being accused of. (At least, that’s what I got from this book in the series.) I appreciated that the sepia tones help not only with the setting but also to keep the war scenes from being too graphic. And it is amazing how white can glow in this kind of color scheme. This looks like it will scratch the itches of those who like steampunk or reimagined history, and of course, stories of robots struggling with feelings and purpose. And don’t miss out on reading the interview with the author/illustrator about some of his inspiration for this series in the back of the book. I especially found what he said about war interesting and a good jumping off point for a great discussion. Definitely will be adding this series to our Media Center as soon as I can.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Obviously there are battle scenes, but thanks to the sepia tones, the fact that many of the soldiers are robots, and the author’s choices (no guts, just some blood seeping through clothing), it isn’t super gory. Jet also asks some very poignant questions about war.

I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book manages to say a lot, with very few words. Rust is a boy with a robotic core. He was invented/made to help end a war. A war against machines. Now this war looks like WW2, but with the clone army from Star Wars (but looks more steampunk). Rust does not want to be a weapon, and the death of others has him at odds. This graphic novel is a look at what it could be life to have emotional intelligence, and an indestructible form. It’s moving, imaginative and visually stunning.

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Wow.

This is just a prequel, so not sure where the story is going, but wow. Great art. Times where you are just looking at the landscape, and going along with Jet, as he wanders in the battlefield.

Colored in sepiatone, the story tells about a robot who looks like a boy, who is being used as the ultimate weapon in a war that resembles the first world war, but with robots, of course.

Jet has a conscious, though, given to him so he can make decisions in war, but he doesn't like what he is being made to do, so he pulls out his programming.

And apparently there are further books in the series, so we find out what happened when he left the war. I am going to seek them out.

This is an all ages graphic novel, although I was told by Nate, down at <a href="http://www.atlantisfantasyworld.com/">Atlantis </a> (my local comic book story), but this is meant for kids. So, there is no blood, although there is death.

This is a fantastic graphic novel. I loved the structure of the plot and the art style.

Familar, But Foreign, in Shades of Brown and Rust

"Rust" is a four volume series. The first three books have been published and the fourth is upcoming. Each of the previous volumes contained a prologue that explained in part the Boy Soldier's back story. This volume collects those three prologues and adds some material from the fourth volume, so that a reader can have the entire Boy Soldier backstory together in one place. That's a neat idea and seems a lot like the "rebirth"-type trend we see elsewhere by which publishers are refreshing and reintroducing both well known superheroes and even some overlooked super-characters.

If you own the previous volumes you should be alert to the fact that this isn't new material. Whether having all of the prologue in one place matters to you is, of course, your call. If you are new to the series, though, having this content all together in one place is handy and convenient. I wasn't thrilled about getting the backstory piecemeal as the first volumes were published, and if I were starting fresh now I'd start with this.

The Rust series is austere and a bit melancholy. Jet Jones, the Boy Soldier, is a tragic figure with a violent and war torn backstory and a thirst for redemption. It isn't so much "noir" as it is "sepia", both familiar and foreign, and pertinent now as we consider wounded warriors and returning service men and women. A thoughtful and rewarding series. On the merits, this voume is certainly on par with the rest of the series, but it is all prologue.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)