Sometimes it is best to approach a new ally with caution … since you never know what will happen.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Lou Iovino
Artwork: Renato Rei & Eduardo Garcia
Colors: Hedwin Zaldivar, Grostieta & Jorge Cortez
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Ryder, Eve, and General Tate have been killed. Cheyenne Mountain has been leveled and Avril and Ditto are severely injured. Given these harsh realities, it’s easy to understand why Britney Waters is devastated and struggling to move forward. But there is one critical thing fueling her desire to continue the work of the Highborn Initiative: Vengeance. And, the first step begins across the pond in London with a mysterious new ally.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Cheyenne Mountain is gone … Ryder, Tate and Eve have been laid to rest, and yet only the General can be buried with honors to maintain the organization’s secrecy. The Highborn Initiative is now on high alert after Alpha’s attack, but he did not rest on his laurels once he was finished in Colorado. The mercenary has plans to destroy all of the program’s locations, and thanks to the data he acquired, the next target was London. Thessaly White, new director of the Initiative, thought that location safe since it was in an urban area, but that assumption proved wrong; the sadistic murder brought in his own assault force and mercilessly slaughtered all of the agents, except one teleporter named Silk, who is now on the run. Since they cannot wait until Ditto is reconstructed, White sends Britney and Avril to retrieve their British compatriot, with the hopes that they can save him before Alpha adds a new corpse to the list.
As Avril gets used to driving on the wrong side of the street, a familiar voice chimes in as Brit tries to keep them from crashing into any cars. Their cybernetic operative Ditto has managed to compile his data and interface with the system, thus saving them time in tracking down the rogue. While Silk managed to find a safe house, his interface with the hub allowed their friend to locate his signal. Even though the girls assume that this highborn is on their side, what they do not know is that Alpha has executed all of his companions, setting him on edge, trusting no one. The unassuming comic book store does not appear to be a front for the Initiative, but once the duo set off the proximity alarms, the wrath of this agent answers that question. His high speed teleporting makes confronting him difficult and his intent on subduing the blonde pair impossible to pacify his fears. How can they assuage the anger of this perspective ally if he keeps trying to kill them?
In Summary:
Lou Iovino knows how to keep the action going, but I do wish he spent more time mourning for their lost comrades. To suffer such a loss as half of the team, and especially with how close they became and the hinted relationship between Avril and Ryder, it seems rather callous for White to just push them aside and continue like nothing happened; hopefully this oversight will be corrected at the end of the series with a proper funeral instead of just allowing them to vent their anger with empty vengeance. That type of grief accomplishes nothing and makes for a hollow story, which is not what I want to see with this series. After all, Britney has walked down that path before with her anger and also saw it in Robyn, which is why she helped her blonde friend and in herself became a therapist to assist others. While we did get that cheery reunion with Ditto, it seems it did little to quench the ire later on in the story. But now Iovino introduces us to Silk, someone who has incurred the same loss as the two women, and so he stokes the fire with more anger against Alpha and his shadowy master. Is this on purpose or is there a more sinister purpose for all of this pent up rage? After all, Avril still has yet to be granted any release from that mercenary’s actions against her coven sisters and now to see even more will probably drive her over the edge at the most inopportune time. Of course, that would make for a better story, but not the best choice when in the heat of combat.
But I do like how Renato Rei and Eduardo Garcia ignited the issue with that frenetic chase through the streets of London. If you didn’t see the double decker bus in the background, you could mistake this for New York City, and the gritty feel which colorists Hedwin Zaldivar, Grostieta and Jorge Cortez give to the panels helps to solidify that misnomer. And while the pacing of the story is established with those opening pages, it is a bit unsettling to see those panels when Alpha and his men are killing the British operatives; those few scenes almost feel like an event from the Inquisition – the brutality and the red cloaked knights help to magnify that sickening time, and perhaps that was intentional with the way they are cleansing the world of Highborns. And then we get back to that mercenary, the way shadows and dark shades accent his metallic armor only heighten his murderous disposition. While he can’t see his mouth, you can almost sense a sinister grin behind that mask, knowing that he enjoys his job too much. This is the way to highlight a villain: make his actions speak for themselves and allow the audience to despise him as much as the heroes.
While I do wish this issue had a bit more emotional settlement after the events of the last issue, this was a nice way to introduce a new character and move the story along. However, to add such a volatile person to the team after what Alpha has done does not bode well for future missions. But if this is the impact which Iovino wishes to address by adding a similarly violated person to a group which has suffered so much, then we have a powder keg just ready to explode. They may work well or more than likely, rub each other the wrong way, causing friction and that expected blow out, leading to more suffering and drama for a sensational story. Whatever the consequences, I cannot wait to see what happens.
Grade: B+
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: March 29, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
