Never underestimate the determination of a man with a cause.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Lou Iovino
Artwork: Wilton Santos, Chiara Colasanti, Daniel Maine, Renan Shody & Ario Murti
Colors: Hedwin Zaldivar, Grostieta, Ceci de la Cruz, Michael Bartolo & Dono Sanchez Almara
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
An international Highborn terrorist with a deadly power is on the loose. Britney and the team are summoned to Europe to help capture or eliminate this unpredictable threat. The team’s formidable skills are put to the test when they are faced with an adversary who doesn’t rely on brawn and might or cunning and stealth. This time, their foe’s weapon is thin air itself — and there’s plenty of that to go around!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Britney and her team are called to the briefing room by General Tate for their latest mission, but surprisingly it is INTERPOL who needs their help. Previously the enforcement agency has never asked for their assistance, but this time they think the terrorist bombing churches throughout Europe may be a Highborn. After analyzing surveillance from two of the incidents, they think the criminal has been creating chaos in areas where there has been previous conflict between normal humans and Highborns. With the help of Eve and Ditto, the department has identified the man as being a former Serbian deep cover operative named Danilo Cveta. After reviewing the data, the pair think his next target may be Barcelona, but they caution the group to confront him carefully since they have no idea what may be his powers.
As they make their way to Spain, Britney is puzzled as to why such a highly decorated agent suddenly turned rogue and the reasons for destroying churches. Even as she muses over the information, Ditto and Eve report that tests of bomb residue revealed none of the usual accelerants or explosives from any of the sites. Still uncertain as to the motivations, the team arrive as Cveta detonates his latest device. Amid the confusion, INTERPOL has cleared the area around the cathedral, leaving Britney, Avril and Ryder to search the interior. However once they make it inside, they find the suspect is less than cooperative, making the first move and easily stunning the hybrid. In a fit of rage, the witch tries to confront the bomber, only to find his method of attack too unusual and rash actions quickly leave her immobilized. With Red Agent the only one left to save the day, can even Britney’s feral skills be enough to subdue this madman’s actions?
In Summary:
Now that we have settled back into the chaos that is Red Agent, writer Lou Iovino gives us a story which seems prime for the volatile atmosphere in Europe – the spread of terrorism. However, with the incorporation of Highborn abilities and the agendas which those powers raise, I hope that it will not be as one-minded fanatical as those now occurring in the news. Of course, with the reveal of a certain villain from the last series, it looks like Iovino has other ideas in mind … and none of those will be good. But even within the zealotry which he has created for this story, we still have the opportunity to enjoy the wild ferocity of Britney. While she questions the reasoning behind Cveta’s cause and tries to be rational by offering a chance for him to explain himself, after she sees that he will not be open to a dialogue, and more importantly, once she sees her friends are in need – this hero will not hesitate to defend them. This is why I have always loved Zenescope’s characters: even though they may clearly be based on fairy tales which grew up on, they still hold fast to ideals which are never out of date – justice and courage.
However, even while I enjoyed the story, I cannot but be reminded of the old idiom: Too many cooks spoil the broth. And in this case, it is the artistic overload of five illustrators and colorists for a single issue. While I can appreciate the need for deadlines and being open minded to the option of handing off an assignment once a single person becomes overwhelmed, this book carries that option a bit too far. There are only twenty-two pages between the covers, so that means artists Wilton Santos, Chiara Colasanti, Daniel Maine, Renan Shody and Ario Murti are left to about two pages a piece; this approximation also holds true for colorists Hedwin Zaldivar, Grostieta, Ceci de la Cruz, Michael Bartolo and Dono Sanchez Almara to also being held to those same parameters. Although this amount of talent might be acceptable for a larger book, to limit these people to such a small amount limits their skill as to being able to tell a satisfying tale through their work.
We all know that one illustrator and colorist’s translation of a scene can differentiate between themselves and another pair of artists. But to do so at least five times within the same work seems a bit too much … especially when a change can carry over shifts in mood and/or portrayal of a character; to see five different versions of Britney is a bit too much, even for fans of the franchise. The easiest way to interpret these transitions would be to imagine your favorite episode of a well known series having the core characters change to different actors and also use a new cinematographer after each commercial break. While you would gradually adapt to those transformations, the initial change over would be confusing, as I see this same disarray within the issue. Though it does work in part when moving between scenes, sometimes the progression is not as smooth that is necessitates a mental pause, causing the reader to rethink what happened between pages. Eliminating this stumbling block would have made for less distraction and a more rewarding narrative, plus given us a more spontaneous telling of the tale.
The scene is set and the action is only just beginning, but with the introduction of multiple artists, it makes for this issue to becoming a very bumpy ride. While the narrative is full of the Britney we know and love, shifting between portrayals of the same characters is very unsettling and almost derails what should be a great ride. Hopefully the next issue will be able to smooth out the bumps and we will be able to enjoy the book as it should be – a great story.
Grade: B+
Rating: 16+
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: January 11, 2017
MSRP: $3.99