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Wasteland Compendium #1
Wasteland Compendium Vol. 1: Compendium
One hundred years after the Big Wet, the Earth is broken-a barren and infertile world where the few remaining survivors struggle for survival. When Michael, a scavenger bearing strange gifts, arrives at the shanty town of Providence, the effects are devastating. Now Michael and the townsfolk must cross the deadly wasteland to Newbegin, a nearby city that has sprung from the desolation; but will the city's power-mad dictator welcome them with open arms or a closed fist?
744 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2017
2 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Antony Johnston
339 books404 followers** Sign up for Antony's newsletter at http://ajwriter.substack.com **
Antony Johnston is a multi-award-winning author, a New York Times bestseller, and one of the most versatile writers of the modern era.
The Charlize Theron movie Atomic Blonde was based on his graphic novel. His murder mystery series The Dog Sitter Detective won the Barker Book Award. His crime puzzle novel Can You Solve the Murder? reinvented choose-your-own-story books for a mainstream audience and was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year. And his productivity guide The Organised Writer has helped authors all over the world take control of their workload.
Antony is a celebrated videogames writer, with genre-defining titles including Dead Space, Shadow of Mordor, and Resident Evil Village to his credit. His work on Silent Hill Ascension made him the only writer in the world to have contributed to all of gaming’s ‘big three’ horror franchises.
His immense body of work also includes Marvel superheroes such as Daredevil and Shang-Chi, the award-winning Alex Rider graphic novels, the post-apocalypse epic Wasteland, and more. He wrote and directed the film Crossover Point, made entirely in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.
An experienced podcaster and public speaker, he also frequently writes articles on the life of an author, and is a prolific musician.
Antony is a former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, a member of International Thriller Writers and the Society of Authors, a Shore Scripts screenwriting judge, and sits on the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s videogames committee. He lives and works in England.
Antony Johnston is a multi-award-winning author, a New York Times bestseller, and one of the most versatile writers of the modern era.
The Charlize Theron movie Atomic Blonde was based on his graphic novel. His murder mystery series The Dog Sitter Detective won the Barker Book Award. His crime puzzle novel Can You Solve the Murder? reinvented choose-your-own-story books for a mainstream audience and was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year. And his productivity guide The Organised Writer has helped authors all over the world take control of their workload.
Antony is a celebrated videogames writer, with genre-defining titles including Dead Space, Shadow of Mordor, and Resident Evil Village to his credit. His work on Silent Hill Ascension made him the only writer in the world to have contributed to all of gaming’s ‘big three’ horror franchises.
His immense body of work also includes Marvel superheroes such as Daredevil and Shang-Chi, the award-winning Alex Rider graphic novels, the post-apocalypse epic Wasteland, and more. He wrote and directed the film Crossover Point, made entirely in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.
An experienced podcaster and public speaker, he also frequently writes articles on the life of an author, and is a prolific musician.
Antony is a former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, a member of International Thriller Writers and the Society of Authors, a Shore Scripts screenwriting judge, and sits on the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s videogames committee. He lives and works in England.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 22, 2018
When I look at a book and I see all the reviews on the front and back cover proclaiming it a true marvel, a feat of iconic proportions, my cynical nature begins to emerge.
What am I saying?
I don’t even bother reading what those reviews say, anymore.
After all, how many books have you read that really turned out to be as great as the reviews actually stated?
I used to believe reviews. Now, I’m just a little more skeptical.
In this instance, they’re actually true.
Greg Rucka, writing on the back cover, “There’s a lot at work in ‘Wasteland’, yet another hallmark of a true epic.”, wasn’t an exaggeration.
It really is an epic tale, written extremely well and thought out brilliantly by Johnston.
The art in this is beautiful. The lines, structure, detail- phenomenal!
The collaborative effort of the artists is truly brilliant.
Put the writing with the art and I see one of my favorites.
Hand and hand, perfect and essential, the art and written word seem to flow together without much effort.
I love it when words and art do that so spectacularly!
I enjoy the fact Mitten’s originally from the Dairy State, where I am currently residing. Gotta love Wisconsin... unless, well, you don’t. (Just an irrelevant aside)
So, if you enjoy the genres of fantasy mixed in with post apocalyptic warfare, anthropology, scientific inquiry and political intrigue, you will not be disappointed.
It is in black and white.
I wasn’t used to it, at first.
Then, I couldn’t conceive of anything other for this story.
There is a brief interlude which is in color.
The interlude is incredible and allows the reader to get glimpses of what’s behind the scene, i.e. little tales of past, present that enlighten the reader to the truth of any given subplot, main plot or to further character development.
The interlude art is done by Carla Speed McNeil, Joe Infurnari and Chuck BB... hopefully I didn’t forget anyone!!
These interludes blew my mind! The art is sooo incredibly refined!
The color interlude is incredibly arrresting and leaves a lasting impression!
As always, I’m not going to bore you with the plot synopsis. Those are easy to find. Look above and below the photo- Goodreads does an awesome job of detailing the most basic and accurate of plot summaries.
There’s so much going on within, it’s perfect for a reader who adores a good book with a lot of substance and the most excellent of art.
Put it all together, the appreciative reader will have a book that will be read over and over!
The second compendium will be coming out July, ‘18.
I am eagerly awaiting its debut!
What am I saying?
I don’t even bother reading what those reviews say, anymore.
After all, how many books have you read that really turned out to be as great as the reviews actually stated?
I used to believe reviews. Now, I’m just a little more skeptical.
In this instance, they’re actually true.
Greg Rucka, writing on the back cover, “There’s a lot at work in ‘Wasteland’, yet another hallmark of a true epic.”, wasn’t an exaggeration.
It really is an epic tale, written extremely well and thought out brilliantly by Johnston.
The art in this is beautiful. The lines, structure, detail- phenomenal!
The collaborative effort of the artists is truly brilliant.
Put the writing with the art and I see one of my favorites.
Hand and hand, perfect and essential, the art and written word seem to flow together without much effort.
I love it when words and art do that so spectacularly!
I enjoy the fact Mitten’s originally from the Dairy State, where I am currently residing. Gotta love Wisconsin... unless, well, you don’t. (Just an irrelevant aside)
So, if you enjoy the genres of fantasy mixed in with post apocalyptic warfare, anthropology, scientific inquiry and political intrigue, you will not be disappointed.
It is in black and white.
I wasn’t used to it, at first.
Then, I couldn’t conceive of anything other for this story.
There is a brief interlude which is in color.
The interlude is incredible and allows the reader to get glimpses of what’s behind the scene, i.e. little tales of past, present that enlighten the reader to the truth of any given subplot, main plot or to further character development.
The interlude art is done by Carla Speed McNeil, Joe Infurnari and Chuck BB... hopefully I didn’t forget anyone!!
These interludes blew my mind! The art is sooo incredibly refined!
The color interlude is incredibly arrresting and leaves a lasting impression!
As always, I’m not going to bore you with the plot synopsis. Those are easy to find. Look above and below the photo- Goodreads does an awesome job of detailing the most basic and accurate of plot summaries.
There’s so much going on within, it’s perfect for a reader who adores a good book with a lot of substance and the most excellent of art.
Put it all together, the appreciative reader will have a book that will be read over and over!
The second compendium will be coming out July, ‘18.
I am eagerly awaiting its debut!
October 23, 2025
I bought both compendiums on a whim and very cheap. Having heard absolutely nothing about them I dove in and was treated to an intriguing admixture of a dystopian western with dashes of fantasy. This is an ambitious method of storytelling as Johnston and Mitten’s approach to plot and characterisation are subtle and drip-fed to readers. Which for this series was a bog draw as the expansive and desolate wasteland had lots to explore and offer. The story begins as a mysterious man with a strange device and enters a small community. From there chaos ensues rather quickly and these new cast of characters are thrust into a tale of survival as they venture to a larger town that unbeknownst to them is filled with corruption.
Without going into more detail and spoiling the development of the narrative, this comic’s main appeal is the world-building. We know an apocalyptic event known as the “Big Wet” destroyed the world and that survivors have made settlements but other than a strange religious cult called “Sunners” and a promised land called Aree-Yas-ee” there’s little revealed which certainly compelled me to keep reading. Plus our main characters Michael and Abi who seem to have strange abilities was an aspect I wanted to learn more about.
The art by Christopher Mitten is certainly unique, the stylised designs are well illustrated however, personally I find that his specific designs are often too similar and without colour I sometimes get confused as to who is who or what is what. However, his panelling and layouts are clear to follow and helps with the many action scenes and fights we get. The look of this world while borrowing from dystopian and westerns that have come before it feels distinct to this series and I am overall enjoying it a lot.
This compendium makes a lot of intriguing promises that so far are delivering on. It is a decent story that is yet to wow me but is by no means a bad story.
Without going into more detail and spoiling the development of the narrative, this comic’s main appeal is the world-building. We know an apocalyptic event known as the “Big Wet” destroyed the world and that survivors have made settlements but other than a strange religious cult called “Sunners” and a promised land called Aree-Yas-ee” there’s little revealed which certainly compelled me to keep reading. Plus our main characters Michael and Abi who seem to have strange abilities was an aspect I wanted to learn more about.
The art by Christopher Mitten is certainly unique, the stylised designs are well illustrated however, personally I find that his specific designs are often too similar and without colour I sometimes get confused as to who is who or what is what. However, his panelling and layouts are clear to follow and helps with the many action scenes and fights we get. The look of this world while borrowing from dystopian and westerns that have come before it feels distinct to this series and I am overall enjoying it a lot.
This compendium makes a lot of intriguing promises that so far are delivering on. It is a decent story that is yet to wow me but is by no means a bad story.
November 30, 2018
I really liked the illustrations. The stark, sharp, and uncluttered style creates anticipation, wonder, and excitement to balance the slower heavier subject matter. As the dialogue walks us through a slow, bleak, introspective setting; the illustrations keep the reader from becoming bogged down by the weight of the dialogue and occasional monologue.
The author portrays the main characters realistically and I did care about the characters throughout. I can only wish that the supporting characters would have been forgettable. They were overgeneralized plot devices. The supporting characters this would have been okay with me, except that most of the antagonistic resistance derive from the supporting characters. The source of the antagonism isn't from character tension, but is forced by the plot onto the reader. The reader finds a well written character up against uninspiring devices whom the reader is supposed to revile and fear out of concern for the protagonists. This fails because the supporting antagonists are forced upon our protagonists before we develop a sense of real danger; are cut from dull, trite patterns; and/or serve as plot devices only.
The plot itself is not for me, but is cohesive, internally consistent, albeit not very compelling. The tribal, spiritual, cultish, undead, economic, and political elements work well, although they are so much intertwined that if even one of these elements is not up the reader's alley, then the whole story becomes a bit of a burden.
I thought that other than substituting boring throwaway plot device characters for antagonistic conflict, the story works. I am not a huge fan of undead themed stories, so this wasn't quite as interesting for me. I would read simply for the novel's excellent illustration style as well as the main characters' emotional dynamics, however.
The author portrays the main characters realistically and I did care about the characters throughout. I can only wish that the supporting characters would have been forgettable. They were overgeneralized plot devices. The supporting characters this would have been okay with me, except that most of the antagonistic resistance derive from the supporting characters. The source of the antagonism isn't from character tension, but is forced by the plot onto the reader. The reader finds a well written character up against uninspiring devices whom the reader is supposed to revile and fear out of concern for the protagonists. This fails because the supporting antagonists are forced upon our protagonists before we develop a sense of real danger; are cut from dull, trite patterns; and/or serve as plot devices only.
The plot itself is not for me, but is cohesive, internally consistent, albeit not very compelling. The tribal, spiritual, cultish, undead, economic, and political elements work well, although they are so much intertwined that if even one of these elements is not up the reader's alley, then the whole story becomes a bit of a burden.
I thought that other than substituting boring throwaway plot device characters for antagonistic conflict, the story works. I am not a huge fan of undead themed stories, so this wasn't quite as interesting for me. I would read simply for the novel's excellent illustration style as well as the main characters' emotional dynamics, however.
March 15, 2020
Kind of jittery, moving from storyline to storyline awkwardly, and flashbacks don't help. But a very original concept, and compelling storyline.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews