In the realm beyond the weathered page.
Where artisry fuses with technical mastery...
The picture and the word and the song collide...
...and something new is born.
Turn off the lights. Unplug the phone.
Breathe deply. Clear your mind of static.
Prepare to think, and feel, and be provoked.
Welcome to our world.
http://www.brokensaints.com
This is the introduction to the graphic literature work, Broken Saints, and no better one can be made. Broken Saints combines elements of manga, American comics, music, words, and animation into something wholly original and absolutely fascinating. Through the experiences of the four protagonists, divided into 24 chapters, we are given a picture of a truly terrifying apocolypse.
The story takes place in the present day, perhaps a year or two from now. We are introduced to four people. There is Shandala, a beautiful white woman adopted by a Fijian tribe when she was found floating towards their island as a child. There is Oran, a Muslim and former jihadi who is haunted by demons from his past. There is Raimi, a cynical hacker with suspicions that the megacorp he's working for isn't all it's cracked up to be. And there is Kamimura, a Shinto priest who fights against the spirit of a former student that is trying to possess his mind.
Nothing seems to tie these four together, except for one thing. They are all beginning to have strange visions. Sometimes of each other, and sometimes of something too terrible for words. And the visions are starting to become more frequent.
This is a very brief summary, and from there the story twists and turns its way into an absolutely stunning tale. But there is more to Broken Saints than just its story. The medium through which it is told is equally important.
Imagine your favorite comic book, or manga (if you've ever read either). Now, imagine that the scenes, instead of being static, were moving and shifting as events took place. This is not anime, or cartoons of any sort. This is literally a moving comic book. The word bubbles fade in and out of the screen. The camera scans over each still image. They slide and merge into each other, and then become distinctly separate. There is no real way of describing it, best that you see it yourself.
To tie all of this together, Broken Saints also has something more. Everything is accompanied by a soundtrack, and an extremely well done one at that. So there you have it. Now, go see it for yourself, as this description is a paltry excuse for the real thing. You can find Broken Saints at (*gasp*) http://www.brokensaints.com . It is flash animated, so you'll need a plug-in if you don't already have one. And the best part, this production is entirely free. There is no promotion, no advertising, no registering. Just skillful storytelling.