Reading – Gear’s Edge

Published in 2007, Gear’s Edge is a 32-page collection of short comics written by Matt Doughty (Onell Design) and illustrated by Jesse Moore (Callgrim). I ordered my copy a couple of years ago, shortly after I got in my first order of Glyos System action figures and, unfortunately, the book is no longer available. Still, maybe if there’s enough of a demand there will be a reprint so this is my way of encouraging those of you without a copy of the book to want one.

Blue Eye

First up is Blue Eye, an 8-page story that introduces us to a nameless Sincroid lawgiver who introduces us to Dailos Settlement, a burned out town packed with barely-surviving bots. The story is short, but gives us a good idea of what we can expect from the wasteland; this is basically a western in space and, ultimately, the story is more about establishing setting and background than it is giving us an adventure.

Callgrim

The second story in the book, again 8-pages long, introduces Jesse Moore’s Callgrim character and the bull-like bot, Stannic. This is a fight between two bots as Callgrim, a bounty hunter, takes down and captures Stannic. The Callgrim shown in the story doesn’t look exactly like the action figure that’s now available at the Callgrim shop, but it’s similar enough that it’s easy to see how this evolved into the final character. Too bad the action figure doesn’t have the hat.

And it’s too bad that there hasn’t been an action figure of Stannic. This bull-headed robot looks pretty cool, and I’d love to see how this guy would translate into plastic. He’s beefy and massive and would no doubt provide us with lots of completely new parts.

This isn’t a complicated plot or involved story — it really is just a single fight — but Jesse’s art is great and this is a fun introduction to the bounty hunter Callgrim. Stannic’s actually a guy in a bull-headed suit, but no matter because either way I still want that giant bullbot as a toy.

Pikes

The last story in the book, and the longest at 12-pages, Pikes takes us to the Deslin Charge Bar where a Sincroid tells the tale of the day something in the wasteland nearly grabbed him. He would have been dead, killed by some unknown alien, if not for the interference of an unnamed bot who rescued him. Again, the plot is pretty straightforward but the story works just fine as a short work that, if the Glyos System had been produced in the eighties, would have been a mini-comic packed with some toys.

Closing Thoughts

The stories in Gear’s Edge won’t rock your world, but they do a great job of giving us a peek inside the cosmos of the Glyos System and are some of the only comics created (so far) for the toy line. I’m really happy I’ve got my copy of the book — in addition to the stories it also includes an assortment of sketches and character designs — and I’m not letting it go.

I suggest that anyone with a copy of this book hold on to your copy because there’s no telling whether or not it will ever be reprinted. And if you don’t have a copy be sure to post here or at the October Toys forum if you want a copy, because you’ll never get one if there’s not enough demand for a reprint.

A fun book, and one of the only Glyos System books ever printed.