The behind the scenes pursuits begin to pay off.
Creative Staff:
Story: Joe Harris
Art: Martin Morazzo
What They Say:
When a cache of Soviet-era nuclear warheads is discovered, Chas Worthington has to fend off plundering, modern-day pirates in order to prevent an all-out arms race!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Great Pacific has worked through several phases so far with its introductory storyline and it’s certainly brought a number of characters into play. Events have moved quickly, if awkwardly at times, and we’ve gotten several sides at play here as Chas has taken control of the island. Some of it has worked while other pieces have felt a bit off with what it’s trying to do, especially with the pirates and the natives of the area. And that’s without talking about the giant octopus that seems to want to help Chas in its own strange way. The series has some ideas that I’m really keen on, but it’s taking quite the roundabout way in working towards talking about any of them.
With this installment, the main push is dealing with the arrival of the military, which has come to claim Chas after getting Alex previously during their raid. Chas, for his part, isn’t exactly pleased to see them there since he’s still trying to play up the whole New Texas nation aspect. And a bit of bluster and confidence can go a long way in areas like this. The captain of the group that’s trying to get him though doesn’t really care for the theatrics of kids in this kind of situation though, but he at least tries to talk him down first, bringing Alex out a bit to make his case, and basically making it clear that this is just a job and they need to get things done so they can all get on with their lives. What’s amusing and strange though is that we see Chas use his special creation to “float” out to the ship. It’s an interesting moment, but his device continues to feel like it can do anything and there’s a lack of clarity to it.
While this encounter plays out, there are two other areas that advance a bit. The first is that the local natives are finding that while they don’t trust Chas and what he’s doing, he’s better than the military and they’re intent on working with him to push them out. They provide a little help for Chas and his friends to survive their plan, which feels very out of proportion to what’s going on. A more interesting story is what’s going back at the Worthington corporate offices though as they’re finding a way through a managed bankruptcy to put the company in a better place but also to give Chas what he needs to expand his territory and use his device to gain the upper hand.
In Summary:
Great Pacific started off well for me with its first couple of issues, but as it’s progressed it’s faltered a lot in telling what feels like a coherent story that can move forward with what it wants to do. There are some good ideas within the book and its concept, but it’s gone in strange directions that have left me wondering what the endgame is. You can see some of what Chas is doing, but some of reasons are unclear as are his intentions – and those that he’s roped in to help. Some of the recent character additions haven’t exactly instilled confidence either. But those moments of intrigue and surprise definitely keep me interested in where it’s going, but the excitement level has certainly toned down a lot from how it all started.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Image Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: April 3rd, 2013
MSRP: $2.99