Marvel's various Call of Duty limited series started off strong, but the injection of sci-fi elements and a supernatural atmosphere, and the criss-crossing of plotlines from one series to the next, ultimately made for some confusing and implausible reading. I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I do know what I was hoping for: some down-to-earth drama about real people. That's not to be found here. Austen offers up an inaccessible script, based far too heavily on the previous Call books, but I have to admit, there's a surprising intensity and edge here that I find intriguing.
Jeriah Halidon -- the owner of the building that burned to the ground in a chaotic mess of flaming, drug-addicted zombies, biological weapons and mass panic -- is determined to get to the bottom of why his nefarious plans went awry, and he has found a witness to interrogate. She seems to be a junkie, someone who showed up late for Halidon's infernal party, but there's more to her that meets the eye. Unfortunately for her, Halidon cares little for her, and he only wants information. And he's willing to go to extraordinarily inhumane lengths to get it.
Olliffe's simple style works surprisingly well in conveying the stark terror and dark deeds that are at the heart of this first issue. The Halidon design really doesn't inspire the level of imtimidation required here, though, but the torture victim who serves as the story's narrator boasts a realistic and vulnerable look that really sells the extreme ordeal that she endures here.
The narration sells it as well. The woman's cold description of her loss of digits is chilling, and the detached, objective tone of her retelling of her story makes for a strong contrast with the terror and torture we see in the artwork. While the script conveys emotion and the intensity of her horrific experience, it fails to convey the background upon which this new direction is built clearly.
This hardly reads like a first issue. One really needs to be familiar with the events of the three The Call of Duty limited series that preceded this ongoing series in order to be up to speed here. Hell, I read most of those previous comics, and even I was at something of a loss at times here. Fortunately, by the issue's end, Austen seems to have moved beyond those previous stories and set his sights on a much different property.
