SOLDIER X #3
"The Virgin of Krasnaya Polyana"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Darko Macan
Artist: Igor Kordey
Colors: Chris Chuckry
Letters: Randy Gentile
Editor: Andrew Lis
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Macan offers up a touching yet chilling story that explores the extremes of the world in which we live as well as the inner conflict of a soldier who no longer has a war to fight. It makes for a reflective, intelligent read, but Macan also makes room for a twisted sense of humor, bringing some balance to the overall package. Kordey's art is well suited to the subject matter. Soldier X stands out as an X-title unlike all others, examining society and politics without the super-hero genre filter.
At the unexplained behest of Blaquesmith, his mentor from the future, Nathan Summers travels to the small Russian village of Krasnaya Poyana. He's looking for a 13-year-old girl with a mutant healing power. She's been taken from her loving father, and propped up as a miracle worker by her opportunistic and cruel mother. Meanwhile, the man in charge of the S.H.I.E.L.D. task force assigned to Summers is out for blood, and his target's will do just fine, as far as he's concerned.
Kordey's probably best known for his work on New X-Men these days, simply because it reaches a wider audience. That's too bad, because it's his work on this book (and the Black Widow: Pale Little Spider limited series earlier this year) that really shows how strong his artwork can be. One can see influences like the legendary Joe Kubert in his work, and some instances remind me of the styles of Steve (Preacher) Dillon and Eduardo (100 Bullets) Risso. Ultimately, his sketchy but detailed style captures the humanity of the diverse array of characters.
The opening recap page was a riot, not just because we have one of the characters interacting with the book's editor and readers, but there's the weird juxtaposition of a Yoda-like alien in bed with a bombshell. And then there's the man who tries to console the teenage girl's father. It's not only a humorous moment, but it points to how poverty and strife can distort priorities and sensibilities.
The most interesting aspect of the script, though, continues to be Nathan Summers's continued quest for purpose. He seeks some sense of peace, but his training as a soldier is forever getting in the way. He falls too easily into his old patterns... following orders, kicking ass. It also seems to me that Blaquesmith is well aware of that flaw, and he's manipulating it.
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