What happens when a down-on-his-luck former MECH pilot with anger management issues is given one last chance to drive a mecha? That's the premise behind the new comic Travailiant Rising, written by Kevin J. Anderson ("Dune," "Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.") and David Boop ("The Drowned Horse Chronicle"). Joined by artist Rob Nix and letterer Shannon Potratz, the team tells the story of Harold Hodges and his last chance as a pilot.
Only, this is not that story…
Harold Hodges is angry. So angry that, upon another arrest for assault, he’s given a choice: he can either clean up toxic Garenthian residue—an almost certain death sentence—or he can enter Travailiant Therapy. Choosing the better option, Harold pilots a decommissioned, unarmed Decimator, tasked with the reclamation of Earth’s uninhabitable metropolises. His A.I. therapist, T.A.I.T., guides Harold’s aggression in a constructive… or better put, destructive way. But Harold has a LOT OF ISSUES, and putting him in a Travailiant unit might backfire and destroy not just Earth's skeletal cities, but Harold himself.
Welcome to the post-apocalyptic world of Travailiant Rising!
Check out this preview!
Travailiant Rising comes to readers live on Kickstarter on July 25, 2023, but you can sign up now for updates. In the meantime, you can grab a copy of MECH: Age of Steel, which features a short story by Anderson and Boop set in the same world!