CBR Tron: Betrayal

 

With Tron revival recently, Disney decided to try capitalize on this newly acquired fame and make some profit on the mainstream appeal the franchise was getting.

Thus, they decided to make some tie-ins around the release of Tron: Legacy.
Prequels.
Like Tron already had in the past while there wasn't a movie around, a new game and a new comic.
This is a review of the comic book that was released before the new Tron movie.

Comic title: Tron: Betrayal
Art by Jeff Matsuda, Andie Tong & Pete Pantazis
Story by Jai Nitz & Starlight Runner Entertainment
Published by Marvel Comics/Disney Press
From 2010

Lineup Tron
Format: Trade paperback collecting the two issues of Tron: Betrayal plus all new pages opening and closing this whole complete Graphic Novel.

For the release of Tron: Legacy, Disney brought an all-star cast of creators to bring some much-needed content to the Tron Universe.
Apart from a short comic book mini in 2006, the universe of Steven Lisberger's movie hadn't been really much explored in this format.

This story arc called "Betrayal" aims to fill-in the gap of time between both Tron movies, follow Jeff Bridge's character Flynn in the years following the liberation of The Grid in the original movie.

The original Grid (TM)

The book starts of with a complete recap of the events of the original Tron movie, drawn by Jeff Matsuda in a more cartoony way than the actual "Betrayal" story afterwards.

It's actually a pretty good recap of the original movie's storyline, so check out that plot in my previous Tron review :P

Anyway, to put things up quickly, Kevin Flynn entered the virtual reality called The Grid while he was working out for ENCOM. With the help of the program Tron, he was able to defeat the MCP and Sark, evil programs in charge of ENCOM's servers. After that adventure, Flynn became the CEO of the company and decided to turn it into one of the best videogames & software companies in the world!

Always beware of that evil doppelganger you create yourself based on you own image!

The story then picks up in 1983.
Flynn has copied the content of the old "ENCOM 511" computers, and started building in his own home and then under his private video arcade a new and improved virtual world on his new and updated "ENCOM 711" computer.
Flynn designs it as a world he will be able to improve and build upon, testing the limits of this digital frontier and his imagination.

This new Grid starts getting more and more complex, with lots of sentient programs populating it bit by bit.
To help him along his task, Flynn brings Tron back from the old 5-1-1 to help him out.
Then, required in the real world with his son Sam's birth (and later Sam mom's death) and a company to run, Flynn ends up needing to recreate his old mirror image Clu and gives life to an all-new Clu-2 at the same time.

Tron manage to be an integral part of the story and get more screen time than the actual new "Tron" movie.

The more time passes, Flynn seems to be stretched as far as it gets between this dual life.
Flynn is a dreamer, a software engineer. But also a man out of touch.
He wants to explore and play around in the Grid, but he has ENCOM to run. He's needed to help bring peace and stability in the virtual world, but also as a son who needs his father around.
Flynn comportment gets more and more erratic, absent. One day he's bored, at a meeting, then he disappears a couple weeks in the Grid.

Meanwhile, life found its way in the computer, from the very same lake Flynn built. Self-thinking "free" isomorphic programs called "ISOs". These new instable creatures start destabilizing Clu-2's perfect harmonized world. He calls their very nature chaotic. Dangerous.
But life is random. "Real" life anyway.

Clu-2 gets more and more dangerous himself when he decides to get in charge of the Grid, having Tron removed from all of his information, shuts down Shaddox, a program who helped rebuild this new Grid, and decides that Users like Flynn are the source of that same chaotic instability that has been threatening his perfect system.

Overall, it's a quite simple yet decent story.
The art is mostly top notch. I love the recap of the original movie, accenting on Tron (himself!) role in the original movie.

It's a story about life and it's very unique nature. Clu-2 has a program, needs a purpose, a function. Which he might take from Flynn originally, but gets more and more divergent.

Life is created artificially by Flynn first.
Then Sam Flynn is born (main protagonist of Tron: Legacy).
And ISOs start to emerge naturally from the Grid.
It's a conflict between the natural course of events and trying to have the control over it, over life.

Famous artist Jock (Green Arrow Year One) did the covers for this book, and it looks splendid.

A great read and easy read for newcomers.
Maybe a tad obvious from the start, and ending it on what seems to be a mid-note doesn't make it seem "complete".

This comic book was followed (story-wise) by the videogame Tron: Evolution. In which we see Clu-2 wage war against ISOs during the following years, before Tron: Legacy.

Check it out, for fans and interested!

I give it:

  2 / 3 Aaylas!