“Exodus”
Creative Staff:
Story: Ron Marz
Art: Marco Castiello
Colors: Flavio Dispenza
Letterer: Rus Wooton
What They Say:
Spies…like us? In 2008, husband-and-wife Russian intelligence operatives walked into the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic in order to defect, making a deal to trade secrets for new lives. But instead of the American Dream, Janosh and Victorya Neumann found themselves caught up in red tape, bureaucracy, and turf wars between the FBI and CIA — all while their past tries to kill them.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With this being based on a true story with things changed for obvious reasons, I’m always curious to see how the story changes over the years because we’ve had decades of defection stories based on true stories and they’re all quite enjoyable. Thankfully, the folks behind this have Ron Marz telling the tale and with decades of experience in writing some really great stories, he’s able to take some of the more streamlined elements of this and deliver something solidly engaging even if the progress is slow for the first installment. It also makes out well with the talent Marco Castiello on the artwork as he captures some of the more “Hollywood” elements of the Dominican Republic in presentation as well as the main characters themselves. It has all the right feel for something “right out of Hollywood” but with that basis in reality that gives it the authenticity.
Taking place in 2008, the opening installment is all about making the right connection. Having fled their country three weeks earlier, the husband and wife team of Janosh and Victorya are in the Dominican Republic and at the American embassy there. Though, amusingly, the receptionist doesn’t seem to have any sort of script for what to do if “someone comes in” from the cold like this looking to talk. It takes a bit but the pair finally get their meeting, smartly done in public and using false names, so they can begin to get what they want – a new life in America. The pair aren’t exactly high-ranking officials or anything – three weeks gone would be a very different story – but they have a lot of information that would be valuable for a range of things that could be done as part of the long game that goes between powers with spying.
What the book does from there is enjoyable in the montage sense in that they spend several weeks with a lot more meetings in various places around the Republic, answering questions, providing some details that will confirm that they are who they are. We get their background in how both came from families that were a few generations in being involved in the business itself and that it was largely a given and expected that they would follow through as well. When there’s enough proof and agreement, the journey to America itself begins, and that goes through a couple of fun little hops that aren’t exactly dangerous but you never know if you’ve been made at any point, and that you’re putting your trust completely into people from the other side. Marz and Castiello definitely capture this kind of tension and it unfolds well, even if it feels just a touch anti-climactic by the end of the issue.
In Summary:
I’m always game for a good spy story but I also like the rarer stories that involve bringing someone in from the work and finding a new life for them. While I suspect we’ll have some tense moments of near-discovery or something else, just the culture shock story aspect alone is something that could be really engaging and fascinating to watch unfold. Marz has produced so many books that I’ve liked over the years that sliding into another of his was incredibly easy, as was enjoying the artwork from Castiello, especially with Dispenza’s color design that’s put into play here as it really gives it that extra cinematic flair with some of the locations and costume design. Definitely a strong first outing that has me curious to see which direction it’s going to go.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: September 1st, 2021
MSRP: $4.99
