An unassuming man, living a life that is totally ordinary, comes across a nefarious plot to assassinate an innocent woman. With such knowledge resting on his shoulders, steps are taken to get involved and perhaps use the darkness that surrounds him to establish, if not light, at least some sort of grey.
When I read the blurb on Preview World, an eye roll occurred. You see, I am not a big fan of a plain Jane type. of character turning into some sort of super spy, detective, fighter or assassin. Of course, I sold Rick Remender short as he has co-created a character that has levels of existence. Remender spends time on establishing his characters “good guy” credentials, letting people on the bus for example. Also on show is the casual racism and indifference that certain people in the world have to put up with on a daily basis. Remender also looks to drops hints as to the shady goings on, though there are elements of coincidence that has to happen at some point. This minor note is the only discord as the twists in this first issue ensures that readers will not, and should not, take things as they appear at first glance.
Co-creator and artist André Lima Araújo provides a kind of real slice of life sort of style that is heavy in backgrounds and environments. This is a welcome visual change, as other artists from across the publishing spectrum, can tend to forget this key aspect. Here, those details are massively important in showing the life that the hero of the piece lives. Maybe not as dynamic as you would possibly expect, Lima Araújo instead adds a huge swathe of drama. Every interaction is well crafted, adding emotional aspects throughout, the keeps the reader engaged. Chris O’Halloran supplies the color scheme that could be described as greyscale or even drab-scale; it is dark, rainy and moody. The colors that are present in the book are suitably muted, which again builds on the sense of darkness pervading the book. Finally, Rus Wooton’s letters are a tad scratchy and few and far between, allowing Lima Araújo’s text less art to carry the storytelling. The latter part of the that is of course due to the script, the font though, at least at first glance seems a little sleight for the book. I am sure as things progress there will be reason for the “less is more’ font type.
Despite the lack of words, this book needed a couple of read throughs. The storytelling is par excellence, with a character that you begin to feel for, much like the first John Wick movie. Additionally, the visuals are a treat adding to the tone and vibe of the pressures of trying to do the right thing in a world where many people just turn away.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall – 5 Stars
Written by; Rick Remender
Art by; André Lima Araújo
Colors by Chris O’Halloran
Letters by; Rus Wooton
Published by; Image Comics
A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance is available in your local comic book shop on October 6th
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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