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In the immortal words of Sammy Haggar: “It’s your one way ticket to midnight. Call it, Heavy Metal!”. I can’t think of a better way to get you ready for Violator: Origin #2! Violator roams the Earth until he falls into the freezing waters of the Ice Age leaving him “Steve Rodgers-ed” (Trademark pending). When a group of monks free him from his icy prison, they only ask for one thing in return…save them from the Viking Hell-Spawn that comes to raze their monastery to the ground!
- Written by Marc Andreyko
- Art by Kyle Hotz
- Colors by Dan Brown
- Letters by Andworld Design
- Creative Director Todd McFarlane
- Editor-in-Chief Thomas Healy
- Published by Image Comics
Violator: Origins is a Non-Stop Action Ride!
Is anybody here a big fan of Viking Metal? If so, that’s all I could here the whole time I was reading this issue! As the book opens, Violator, or the fallen angel Baziel as we now know him, is a seen as a giant demon ice cube. He’s being dragged across the snowy ground of some arctic island by a group of monks. While they struggle with the hefty demon popsicle, a fleet of Viking ships appear on the horizon lead by the Viking Spawn we saw on the phenomenal cover!
Why did Violator fall from Heaven? Find out here!
What proceeds is a brutal chase as the Viking Hell-spawn tears his way to these monks as they try their best to hide their find. The Viking warrior tears through EVERYTHING and the monks do all they can to slow him down. It’s not until Violator breaks free that he agrees to help them in exchange for freeing him from his cold, deep freeze.
Violator: Origin Is Written With Beautiful Brutality
Marc Andreyko takes on one heck of ride in this issue! Every page is a a blast to read! The Viking Spawn has some really badass dialogue, constantly hitting us with some of the coldest threats. Andreyko makes it a point to show us that this is not a hero though. From striking his own men down for the slightest offense to declaring his servitude to Lucifer and brutally massacring the holy men in this secluded sanctuary.
Violator on the other hand continues to tell his tale of roaming the Earth after betraying God’s will. He survived the jungles of a prehistoric world, Dinosaurs and all. He even survived a meteor hitting Earth only to fall into the icy waters during the Ice Age. At times thought the issue you feel a bit of compassion for him, but he reminds us in the end of the Violator we really know (in more ways than one!).
The Art of War in Violator: Origin
As good as this story is, Kyle Hotz feeds us a ton of eye candy in this one. I loved every single panel! The style reminds me so much of Daniel Warren Johnson. That’s not to take away from Hotz’s work though as it stands on its own. The brutality, the horror, the grittiness of an 80’s Full Moon production…everything hits in a way that had me excited to see the next page!
I can’t say enough about the gorgeous art in this one, but why not one more! Dan Brown color’s this issue to absolute perfection. The sick green of the Viking Spawn’s power contrasts so well against the cold blues and blacks of the icy landscape. It’s easy to lose details in a cold, dark, gritty environment like this, but everything stands out in wonderful detail!
Everything Points to 10/10
Violator: Origin has been such a pleasant surprise thus far. As someone who has found himself a bit “Spawned Out” lately, this story has been a breath of fresh air! Violator’s journey is captivating and each stop on his timeline brings an engaging tale. From the art style to the writing, it feels like Violator is in the best hands he could possibly be in to flesh out his backstory! I can’t wait to see more!
