Wow, okay so this series just got crazy! I mean that in a good way, but crazy none the less. It’s definitely going to finish strong because the issues continue to get better and better. It has a lot to do with the plot aspects that are being revealed and this issue has plenty of them. We’ll see what I can talk about without spoiling anything for you. The ending of the last issue was confusing, but it was intentionally confusing; you weren’t pissed off by it or anything you just wanted more answers. We get those answers in this issue so if you did bail for some reason you might want to come back.
Really the only part I want to talk about is near the beginning. We find Ivan kind of dazed and confused standing in front of a bunch of explosives holding the detonator. Damon and Harumi come in on him and see the tattoo thing on his neck and Damon assumes he’s a traitor and attacks Ivan. That activates the bomb both parties end up going their own way. After that we learn that the tattoo on Ivan’s neck was actually a mind control device that when activates looks like a tattoo.
I do have one minor gripe with the story overall and that’s the lack of mention of Harumi’s name. Literally every other main character’s name is said numerous times, but never hers. I have to look it up each time I do a review because there’s never a reminder and that’s strange and frustrating. While I’m reading the issue I forget and it just seems strange that she’s the only one and yet we spend a ton of time with her character. Also her connection to Ivan is become a bit forced in this latter half of the story.
Other than those two minor aspects this is another fascinating and revealing issue from Andrè Sirangelo. The world is built and now Sirangelo is taking it down brick by brick. Ivan’s role in the story is diminished in this issue, but the story is strong enough to survive without him driving it. I think that says a lot about the writing.
We’re six issues in on a seven issue story and I really don’t have much to say about the art that’s new. Gabriel Iumazark has been steady as a rock and really I just love the look of the book. It still has that manga flair to it, but it looks like a story pull from our near future and that’s cool. It for some reason reminds me a bit of Mirror’s Edge and that’s good thing. Iumazark is the most consistent thing about the series.
I’m in it till the end and not just because I started the series and need to finish. I enjoyed this issue a lot and I’m dying to find out what the ending will hold for the story. Hopefully it delivers on the buildup that’s been happening over the past six issues, but really I don’t see how it couldn’t at this point.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Andrè Sirangelo Artist: Gabriel Iumazark Publisher: BOOM!/Archaia Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/15/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital