Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory | Artist: Broadmore | Edition Size: Open

Greg Broadmore did not invent the Raygun. But the creator of The Rayguns: Dr. Grordbort’s Infallible Aether Oscillators has put his money where his sub-atomic disintegrator pistol is, in rejuvenating the sci-fi staple his own way. And he wants you along for the ride.

Introduced to the unsuspecting masses in the form of top shelf life size Weta Collectibles, the Rayguns’ mortal enemy has always been its prohibitive-for-most price tag. It wasn’t long before Weta introduced less expensive ways for folk to nab a slice of “Futurity” for their own, with affordable miniaturized versions of the guns and the book you see here: Doctor Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory.

More than an obsessive ode to turn of the century science fiction gadgetry– it is that too, make no mistake– Broadmore steps further to acknowledge the beings, the places, and to document the adventures.

When can be helped, Weta rarely chooses to relinquish a storyteller role and this is no exception. The Dingus Directory never breaks character, reading as part catalogue (for the fictional universe and Weta’s own collectibles), part travelogue, all served up with brisk fervor.

There is more tongue twisting text than you might expect to find in such (though the title’s a fair clue), but it is an art book at heart. If your brain begins to melt from the “astrodauk’s“, “brorgblort’s“, and “kedzurik’s“, the book is enjoyable in a Playboy way too- just look at the pretty pictures.

There’s no shortage of artwork in various forms of schematics, adverts, and testimonial portraits. Broadmore does make his living as a designer, and you’d be hard pressed to forget it while flipping through. To Raygun buffs it should be noted that everything in the book can be treated as a glimpse to a potential collectible, as witnessed just recently with the Moon Hater at Comic-Con.

And he’s designed more than the weapons, as they are accompanied by a host of other doohickeys the average denizen may find useful in everyday life- and some not so useful (see: bipedal mechanical walking chair). Nods to fellow workshop designers in the Falconer 6000 and Wootten Fivepencemochron will be noticed by the consummate Weta geeks.

The book ends with a fully illustrated chronicle of Lord Cockswain’s safari, providing a colorfully welcome departure from the directory. A fitting way to demonstrate the practicality of Rayguns in every day Venus expedition, it’s a nice little avenue to let improbability escape your head for a while.

Doctor Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory comes in satiny faux-leather hardback, with thick card stock pages. The binding even seems pretty solid. If it sounds like I’m a bit surprised, it’s with the price tag in consideration: For $10 and change, it’s as sumptuous a book as you’ll ever find.

• Buy the book at WetaNZ | at Amazon
• Read our interview with Greg Broadmore
• Review Index