Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Written by: Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson
Illustrated by: Simone Ragazzoni
Colored by: Dan Jackson
Lettered by: Ed Dukeshire
Release Date: 28th August 2024

There’s arguably something of an uneasy feeling concerning Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s penmanship for issue five of Dune: House Corrino which smacks of the collaborative partnership simply hurling storyline elements at the metaphorical wall to see what successfully sticks. Admittedly, some of these new plot-threads, such as the Bene Gesserit having actually had an operative who aided C’Tair in his early rebellion against the Tleilaxu on Ix, are rather intriguing – especially when Sister Crystane is sent to replace her lost compatriot Miral Alechem. Yet others, like Gurney Halleck conveniently spotting some old smuggler friends aboard a Guild Heighliner, who just also happen to be carrying enough melange to rescue the lost vessel, feel far more forced and unconvincing.

Furthermore, these surprising developments hurl a bevy of new characters at the reader when they’re debatably already snowed under by an incredibly large cast, and resultantly can cause the likes of prominent personalities such as Duncan Idaho, Peter De Vries and Count Hasimir Fenring to get somewhat lost within the script’s ever-swirling morass of humanity. Indeed, early on within the thirty-three page periodical it appears that the comic will be focusing upon Lady Anirul’s discovery that her husband has brokered some “vile plot with the Tleilaxu.” However, this entire storyline then suddenly disappears beneath a wave of competing machinations never to be seen in the publication again.

Quite possibly this book’s biggest bemusement though rests with the aforementioned salvaging of a disorientated Spacing Guild starship, which had been powered by Saddam’s unsuccessfully fabricated spice. Luckily for all concerned, one of the transport’s passengers is Prince Rhombur Vernius of Ix, who despite originally being incognito, happily announces to all that he knows the fast route through the vessel’s giant substructure and security restrictions so as to reach the dying Navigator’s chamber. In addition, the cybernetically-enhanced commuter is also the only person able to physically exist inside D’Murr’s melange-filled cell in order to ascertain what the problem is and determine a solution; “I remind you that I no longer have human lungs.”

So many implausible, manufactured moments featuring an incredibly long roster of different personas may also account for Simone Ragazzoni pencilling the odd unimpressive-looking figure, most notably that of Glossu Rabban, whose gaunt, almost vampiric visage appears far from the physically intimidating “Beast” ordinarily envisaged by fans of Frank Herbert’s science-fiction franchise. The illustrator clearly digs deep into his skillset so as to give everyone something different in their demeanour, facial configuration or dress. But by the time Leto Atreides’ disgraced mother makes an unwelcome return to his throne room, some bibliophiles may well mistake her for simply another in a long line of Bene Gesserit witches, as opposed to the black-gowned murderer of “the Old Duke.”

The writer of this piece was: Simon Moore
Simon Tweets from @Blaxkleric ‏
You can read more of his reviews at The Brown Bag