What They Say:
The water convoy is attacked by forces unknown, plunging Mary into a conflict that she doesn’t want, but one she can handle. With over a thousand kilometers to go, can she make it across the Sahara unscathed?
Creators:
Story: Brian Wood
Art: Danijel Zezelj
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: jared K. Fle
The Review:
Mary has left the Ninth Wave and now travels as part of a mercenary group of women protecting water convoys traveling through the Sahara. In order to survive and achieve her goal, she and her friends must face the desert, water bandits, and the sexist attitudes of the men she works for. To top it all off, she’s pregnant, and while that alone does not affect her performance, it does make the people around her treat her differently.
It’s been a while since I’ve read The Massive—not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I didn’t have the time—but I was able to slip right back into this world despite being thirteen issues behind. The qualities that make this such an exceptional comic remain: the intriguing and incredibly well thought out world Wood has created; the fascinating and human characters that populate it; and the rich inner and outer conflicts that drive these people. This is a harsh world in which they live, forming a crucible that tests their morals, ethics, and integrity like nothing else, and the joy in reading this comes from seeing the characters deal with these moments when who they are is put into question.
In terms of what occurs in this issue, it’s really rather straightforward. We follow Mary and her comrades as they drive a water convoy through the Sahara. In some ways it’s very similar to Mad Max—bandits in automobiles chasing after a convoy of precious liquid, except in this case the precious liquid is water, not oil. However, the bandits are a minor inconvenience compared to the sexist attitudes of the men who hired Mary’s group. The women have to constantly justify their actions and even their very presence to these men, making for very tense scenes. I almost wish that Mary would just shoot them as well as the bandits.
All of this comes alive thanks to the art of Danijel Zezeli and the colors of Jordie Bellaire. Zezeli makes excellent use of heavy, dark lines and does some interesting things with panel placement. He’s very fond of overlapping panels, which works very well in telling this story. Bellaire’s colors add a sense of depth and realism to the desert Zezeli draws, and there are a few times when color (or perhaps it might be more accurate to say lack of color) is used to highlight the emotion of certain scenes, especially when the convoy is stopped at a checkpoint. The tankers are bathed in white, blinding spotlights and the scenes are colored in thick blacks and nearly overwhelming whites. It’s a nice effect that puts the reader in the same situation as the protagonists.
In Summary:
Even though I missed the past thirteen issues, I’m pleased to see that The Massive is firing on all cylinders. This is another solid story in a comic that should be on everyone’s pull list. The world building, the characters, and the plot are excellent, as is the quality of the art. I intend to stay with this comic for the long haul and hope that you will join me. Highly recommended.
Grade: A
