REVIEW: Escape From New York #1

Story: Christopher Sebela
Art:Â Diego Barreto
Letters:Ed Dukeshire
Colors:Marissa Louise
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Release Date: December 3, 2014

First things first, save for the fact that both the film and this book have Snake Plissken in a starring role, they are completely different in terms of story. This time around Snake’s fighting his way into the Floridian nation-state, an anarchist’s heaven, run by two sadistic twins named Romulus and Remus.

The book moves along at a frenetic pace and you barely have a chance to catch your breath before the next explosive action sequence. For the first part of the story, dialogue relatively sparse and in that regard it does sort of feel like the 1981 Kurt Russell cult classic.Â Snake is full-on ass-kicking mode from start to finish, and really, did you expect Plissken to be doing anything else?

There is quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor on display as well. On the run (again) from what’s left of the United States government, Snake meets up with a van load of misfits, two of which are named Aleister and Anton. As in Aleister Crowley and Anton LaVey, two names infamous for bringing to occult sensibilities to the mainstream.

Barreto’s artwork is throwback but not unoriginal. Like I said earlier, everything comes at you hot and heavy and if you’re not careful you’re likely to get whiplash as the panels whizz past.Â The colors feel like that distant Hollywood past in between the late 70s oil crisis and the mid-80s material girl/big hair excess; that is, a great mix of substance and flair, shadow and light, that translate into a visually appealing, if restrained, look.

BOOM! Studios is on a roll lately with their reimagined licensed properties and Escape From New York is no exception. Go out and get this one before Snake has to come and pay you a visit.

By: A.C.

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Author Profile

Adam Cadmon

Adam Cadmon is the pen name for a man who has been writing for a few years. Heâ€™s done his share of straight-laced writing, college press, blogging, some other not very glamorous technical writing to keep the bills paid. Itadakimasu.