REVIEW: Warhammer 40,000 #9

Welcome everyone to our little comic book corner. This week we will be covering “Warhammer 40,000: Fallen Part 1 of 4” For those of you who do not know the style of Warhammer 40k, the universe is vast with all sorts of nasty things such as aliens, demons and fallen soldiers. The forces that hold the human part of the universe from falling off into the void of madness is the groups called Space Marines. Each group of Space Marines have their own history and hidden problem that they hide from humanity at large while also protecting their weaker brothers.

The title of this comic refers to the well hidden background of the Dark Angels. Thousands of years ago during a time when the greatest general man had made turned to evil with the guiding of demons, the Dark Angels came to a rift in their belief systems. One side of this rift continues to this day, 30,000 years later, defending humanity in all its forms. The other group, called the fallen, are a group of Space Marines that have horribly lost their way. As each fallen is unique in their views and reasons for hiding, the Dark Angels chapter secretly hunts these fallen down to purge them from the universe and forever redeem themselves.

As the comic starts, we find ourselves coming into an already going political and social engagement of feint and counter feint that is several layers deep. The Dark Angels were forced to destroy an ancient weapon that devastated an entire planet, but left our poor Baltus, a Dark Angles space marine left feeling lost and confused. He questions his overreaching place in the universe as he is catching on to the fact that larger things are happening around him in a world that has been mostly kept secret to him due to training and indoctrination.

While our Interrogator Chaplin of the Dark Angels provides most of our reflection on previous actions and information and speculation provided to us early in. The true orator is the Inquisitor Sabbathiel, a woman with the power to destroy worlds, burn cities and even bring down entire sectors of space if she feels there is a hint of corruption from demons there. This religious zealotry keeps her motives pure and forward moving in the story when she explains to a secondary Space Marine chapter called the Grey Knights. The Grey Knights provide the strength behind the Inquisitor’s views, but they wish to view things on their own terms. With the training that Grey Knights get to defeat demons and the fallen members of humanity they feel they will know if the Dark Angels have fallen from the holy path.

With these three massive forces set on a collision course, you are rewarded with the fallen member of the Dark Angles confessing his entire plan that has taken millennia to orchestrate. This hell-bent and demented villain has worked millennia to bring these forces together to offer the Dark Angels a final offer. Seek damnation with the fallen, or be utterly destroyed by the forces of humanity due to the secrets the Dark Angels keep from the universe.

Overall to understand this comic you need to realize that the dark universe of Warhammer 40k is a place of dark space opera combat with larger than life characters. Is this a mark against this book in any way? No, in truth it is very clear it is plumbing the depths of the Warhammer 40k universe and should be applauded for that. This comic is not for everyone, because it is more gritty and social in its intrigue and melodrama. For Warhammer fans this is a clear 4.5 stars out of 5, for everyone else I would say 3.5 stars out of 5. May the Emperor be with you!

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: George Mann
Artists: Tazio Bettin, Enrica Eren Angolini