The town of Horizon began as a pioneer village.  People striking out of the old world, seeking new life and possibilities, trickled in, methodically building the skeletons of a new frontier.  The rise of the steam-driven industrial revolution resulted in the first major artery for the fledgling town—the locomotive.  Since then, each trainload has been a shot of adrenaline, pumping the town ever higher, a boomtown of a new age.  Where there is an expanding center of commerce, there is trouble.  And trouble arrived in the guise of Horizon’s first international banker—a solitary man known only as Clockmaker.  Shortly after establishing his bank, he bought out the local bank and the railroad line connecting Horizon to the coastal port.  Since then, he has been creating steam-powered machines to exert greater control of Horizon, but not without resistance. 

Combating Clockmaker's schemes of domination are the Copperhead Sisters—Vrekka and Liah.  The rivalry began shortly after Clockmaker’s arrival.  He secretly acquired the most powerful steam-powered, iron-clad conveyance in the world—the Mecha-wagon.  With it, he intended to establish martial law with impunity.  Not knowing any of this, Vrekka and Liah stole it from the bank’s garage.  The two banditos saw the massive vehicle as their means to an independent life.  By having the ability to come and go from Horizon, the sisters break Clockmaker’s overlordship and earn a cultlike status.  Clockmaker had been denied the chance even to see the Mecha-wagon since it had been stolen only hours after its arrival.  With this machine, Vrekka and Liah can travel great distances without using Clockmaker’s locomotive; they live outside Horizon, outside Clockmaker’s control.  For every day the sisters live free, they are a stain on Clockmaker’s reputation and a constant threat to his expansionist dreams. 

 

From Author Nedka Rokonokova:
My objective with my comic, Mechanical Horizon, is the same as all my other writings—I need my readers to be profoundly moved.  I want readers to walk with me through the landscape of my story, hear new voices, see things from a new perspective, and think about my words.  My stories are always multi-layered for an astute reader, and yet they remain straightforward for an entertaining read. 

I was born on a Reservation, the granddaughter of a storyteller, and now a storyteller in my own right.  Stories are the threads of my life.  This is my job.  I do it with love. 

With that in mind, let us look at the Copperhead sisters one more time.  Their skin tone is light brownish-red, the first indication of their indigenous roots.  They are, in fact, a representation of my nation, the Sioux or Dakota.  I make no bold assertion of this because I want the reader to enjoy this voyage to re-imagine the Old West without the baggage of our modern world.  I am not seeking to rewrite or rehash history; I want to take you through the enduring, flourishing world of Indigenous culture waiting for you. 

Next is their yellow eyes, placing them as natives of this comic book world, Rūūna.  Although they are human, their eyes have darkvision and more—they can discern the intentions of the native wildlife they encounter.  This comes from the story of the Ghost-walker.  She is one of the many spirits at Spirit Lake.  She brings enlightenment to the one on a vision quest by allowing their eyes to see through an animal’s eyes and learn a little more about the endless world. 

Vrekka and Liah are, on the surface, a pair of desperadoes trying to shape themselves to the frontier.  They are strength and freedom, respectively.  For without strength, there is no freedom.  Strength is not limited to brute force but must include the will, the mind, and the soul.  The sisters are not seeking fame or fortune, but they do enjoy some perks in the task of liberating gold from the pockets of the wealthy Clockmaker. 

The robber baron, Clockmaker, came to Rūūna to shape the frontier to fit himself.  He is the embodiment of greed and domination.  His singular goal is the enslavement and exploitation of all he touches.  His motives are unknown and will remain so; I want readers to solve this question themselves if they choose to.