Review by: Connor Russell
I don't mind reading things that can be a bit weird as these can offer something completely different to what I've ever read before, giving me something fresh and enjoyable to get lost in. Ballistic is definitely the weirdest world that I've ever jumped into and as unbelievable as everything is, the writer pulls it off.
Butch is an air conditioning repairman (by the way it’s a living thing, almost everything seems to be) who has clients in the circles of crime. Butch is a man who has aspired to try and do more with his life, like becoming a criminal. After shooting up the man who called him for the job with his living gun “Bang-Bang”, he decides he wants to rob a bank. Following a night of drugs with a friend of his, Butch goes ahead with the heist only with Bang-Bang feeling depressed and refusing to cooperate.
I notice that sometimes when I am reading a fictional world I feel myself struggling to engage because I feel almost out-of-place with what the author wants to show me. I don't exactly know how but Adam Egypt Mortimer, the writer of the story, succeeds in not deterring me from the weird but instead making me want to soak in as much as possible, I want to see more! Mortimer paces it well and I found Butch to be engaging, I want to learn more about him.
Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan) created this with Mortimer and he also did the art. I am a fan of Robertson's art, his bold lines and proportioned characters and the look of his art really bring it all together.
I'd love to know where these guys came up with the world portrayed in Ballistic because it's messed up and its awesome. As a first issue for a series it delivers all the punches and has sucked me into wanting to see more and reading this as it continues. I cannot recommend this book to every comic reader as I believe it will have a small niche market, but if you like weird than check out Ballistic.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Artist: Darick Robertson
Publisher: Black Mask Studios
Price: $3.50
Release Date: 7/10/13