about the book
The powerful and influential United Galactic Council (UGC) is a collection of nine core planets made up of different worlds and unique species. One thing all the members have in common is their dependence on robots and their smug belief that they can use their natural resources exactly as they please.
One such planet is Niyrata, a beautiful futuristic civilization. Andy. a young boy, leads a wonderful life there with his parents, his robotic dog Bandit, and his android playmate TIM21. TIM21’s only wish is that he could be a real, just like his brother, Andy.
Then one day, nine planet-sized robots align with each UGC world and simultaneously attack. Billions die and countless resources are lost. Just as quickly as they appeared, these galaxy-wrecking monsters vanish. No one knows where these Harvesters came from or why they attacked!
Ten years later on Niyrata’s abandoned moon, Tim21 suddenly reactivates in a mine. He does not recall how he got there or where his family is, but he knows as he wanders the silent ruins that he is surrounded by old mummified corpses and rusted wrecks of long defunct robots. What he doesn’t know is in a hysterical backlash, all robots have been destroyed by UGC and are now outlawed. Tim21, Bandit, and a bulky out-dated mining droid named Driller may be the last of their kind.
While tinkering with an old computer, TIM21 unwittingly reveals his existence to the Scrappers, deadly bounty-hunting scavengers who will do anything to get their hands on them. But they aren’t the only ones after the lonely android. Dr. Quon, the disgraced scientist and nerdy creator of Tim21, is summoned by Agent Telsa at Megacosm, who explains to Dr. Quon that TIM21 contains the same Codex as the Harvesters. If they could open Tim21 up, his secret circuits might reveal the invaders’ origins and weaknesses.
Will the scrappers find Tim21 first…or will it be Dr. Quon and Captain Telsa…or in a heart-thumping twist, could the Harvesters beat them both!?!
about the author
Born in 1976 and raised in the farm country of Essex County in Ontario, Canada, Jeff Lemire was a solitary kid with a passion for comics and cartoons. He had one other passion—playing lots of hockey on the local frozen lake.
All grown but still passionate about comic illustration, Jeff headed to Ryerson to study film making and animation. Three years into the four-year course, Jeff was disillusioned. What he wanted to do was tell stories, but the animation process got in the way of the tales. Rather than quit, he continued on and graduated, but never looked for a job as an animator.
Instead, Jeff took a job as a cook in a restaurant on the night shift, which allowed this self-taught cartoonist to get up very early every morning (the best time to draw, he says) and work on comics until four in the afternoon. Then he would go off to work in the restaurant.
He did that for seven or eight years before his comics started to get rave reviews. His first projects were self published before Top Shelf Productions discovered his talents. Jeff has also worked with DC Comics and is now part of their New 52 series. He has worked on Animal Man, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Green Arrow, the brand new Underwater Welder, Justice League Dark, and recently, The New 52: Future’s End. So far, he has been nominated for six Eisner Awards and five Harvey Awards, and his Essex County Trilogy was named one of the five Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade.
Now Jeff can draw and write all day long, although he still takes time off to play hockey. He lives with his wife, sculptress Lesley Anne Green, and their son, Gus, in Toronto, Ontario.
Sources:
Author blog
Author interview : Comic Related
Author interview : The Excerpt
Author biography : Wikipedia
Also by Jeff Lemire:
Extraordinary X-Men : 1. Marvel Entertainment Group. April 2016.
Justice League United : 2 : The Infinitus Saga. DC Comics. 2015.
Justice League United : 1 : Justice League Canada. DC Comics. 2015.
Constantine : 1 : The Spark and the Flame. DC Comics. 2014.
Teen Titans : Earth One : 1. DC Comics. 2014.
Sweet Tooth : 6 : Wild Game. Vertigo. 2013.
Sweet Tooth : 5 : Unnatural Habit. Vertigo. 2012.
Sweet Tooth : 4 : Endangered Species. Vertigo. 2012.
The Underwater Welder. Top Shelf Productions. 2012.
Superboy : 1 : Smallville Attacks. DC Comics. 2011.
Sweet Tooth : 3 : Animal Armies. Vertigo. 2011.
Sweet Tooth : 2 : In Captivity. Vertigo. 2010.
Sweet Tooth : 1 : Out of the Deep Woods. Vertigo. 2010.
about the co-creator and illustrator
Dustin Nguyen was born in 1976 and is of Vietnamese descent. Even as a youngster, he was a big fan of comics, especially the moody black and white Ninja Turtles and Batman series. But what he really liked best was the bold watercolor look in later issues.
He began his own career working for several engineering firms that specialized in 3D modeling and CAD (Computer Aided Design) and went on to become a conceptual artist designing toys, games, and consumer products. He broke into the comic industry when he did Flash animations for Stan Lee’s company, before working on comics for DC and Windstorm. He worked on several series but really gained acclaim when he paired with writer Paul Dini on DC’s Detective Comic titles.
Currently, Dustin is the co-creator (along with writer Jeff Lemire) and illustrator of the Descender monthly comic series and graphic novels. He has gotten rave reviews for his watercolor illustrations. He must be glad he spent so many hours as a kid enjoying those old 80’s and 90’s issues! When he’s not at work with paint brush in hand, you can find him spending time with his son and daughter…or sleeping!
Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator biography: Lambiek
Illustrator profile: Amazon
Video interview: We Got Comic Issues
Also Illustrated by Dustin Nguyen:
Batman : The Streets of Gotham : The House of Hush by Paul Dini. DC Comics. 2012.
Batman : Private Casebook by Paul Dini. DC Comics. 2009.
Batman : Heart of Hush by Paul Dini. DC Comics. 2009.
Superman/Batman : Torment by Alan Burnett. DC Comics. 2008.
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Constantine : 1 : The Spark and the Flame by Jeff Lemire
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