CITIZEN V AND THE V-BATTALION: THE EVERLASTING #1
"Book One: Time Enough for Living"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Lewis LaRosa
Inks: Jim Royal
Colors: Udon
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
Nicieza has constructed a story that explores the psyches of extreme but interesting characters, and he has conquered one of the biggest challenges of stories featuring his V-Battalion: accessibility. The core plot -- the title character's clash with and pursuit of a villain seemingly back from the grave and a terrorist organization -- hasn't really grabbed my attention, but the characterizations and less conventional tone of the art have.
ULTIMATUM, led by Flag-Smasher, is getting back to its mission of bringing about world peace by eliminating all national governments and borders, and the V-Battalion sends Citizen V to put a stop to it. In the process, though, he runs across a mysterious mercenary who wields a Hebrew energy bow, just like the one wielded by a villain V's grandmother killed decades before. Meanwhile, the stress of leading the Battalion begins to take its toll on Roger Aubrey.
Visually, the most striking thing about this book is the cover by Mike Deodato. The black-and-white image of the new Citizen V design is striking, constrasted against the bright red of the logo, and the almost alien design itself is unsettling. LaRosa's style inside the book reminds me of a cross between Daniel (Captain America: Dead Man Running) and Kyle (The Agency) Hotz, and it's well suited to the darker elements of the plot, as are the muted colors.
Though I continue to find the kidnapped psychiatrist's dilemma and her lack of concern regarding it to be implausible and distracting, the narration, presented in her voice, says a lot about the characters. It not only opens the door for exposition, but gets to the heart of what I believe is the real story being told here: the potential self-destruction of the Battalion's leadership. Nicieza is exploring the humanity of seemingly superhuman figures.
Sadly, the plotlines involving ULTIMATUM and a resurrected villain don't mesh with the strengths of the book. The costumed villain threatens to turn this book, at least in part, back into a conventional super-hero story. And as for ULTIMATUM... well, in this day and age, a terrorist organization full of costumed goons just doesn't cut it.
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