Creative Team:
Writer: John Ridley
Artist: Stefano Raffaele
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Ariana Maher
The Rundown:
The story opens with our Minister of Compliance Avigail cutting off the heads of Carlyle and Regulators who were sent to kill her. As it turns out Avigail and the others are a species not from Earth who are set to invade and take over the planet until their Prime Minister was “recalled” leaving everyone in disarray. Avigail enlists the help of Kingsley a rookie who is Bi-racial both alien and human to help her get the launch codes from the Minister of Transportation to help prevent the takeover. upon reaching the Minister they enter his panic room to find him gutted and murdered violently. As the first issue closes it seems things are not as they appear with our rookie Kingsley setting the stage for our story.
The Art:
The art is a blend of bloody and gruesome delight as Stefano and Brad clearly had a blast creatively cutting up The Regulators and anyone who stood in Avigail’s way. The amount of detail in the action is impressively on display giving John Wick vibes only with cannon fodder missing arms and legs thanks to a mighty sword as though we have entered the world of Mortal Combat.
The Writing:
John Ridley kicks off the story by roping us in with intense action and confusion as he weaves a web of lies and deceptiveness. The character of Avigail is a mixture of Bond and John Wick in how sly she is working her way through the mystery with both her mind and the help of her sword. Serving as a set up issue there are a lot of exciting plot potentials leaving us to let our imaginations run wild with excitement for more.
Overall Thoughts:
If there is one way to bring someone into a new world it is how the team does it with issue #1. A mix of violence and intrigue leaves you in awe wondering just what comes next in the story. An alien species invading Earth alone is enough to bring me into this world but, when you add explosive action and the threat of a spy thriller then if you aren’t picking this up you are sorely missing out. Be warned this issue is not for those with a weak stomach, Avigail is here and she is not playing around. 4.5/5 Cigars.
