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THE AGENCY #6
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Image Comics/Top Cow Productions
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Kyle Hotz
Colors: Matt Nelson
Letters: Dreamer Design
Editor: Renae Geerlings
Price: $4.95 US |
I'll go ahead and say upfront that my review of this book is based on reading the first two issues of The Agency and then this last one, so I'm definitely missing some important information. However, the overall feel I got from those early issues, and the feeling I got from this last one, is based less on missing plot points and more on a general reaction to the style and tone of the book. The finale of The Agency is the now-familiar showdown between a determined cop and a serial killer, with revelations about a dirty higher-up thrown in to spice up the story. Early on, I compared The Agency to cheesy future action movies like Robocop, and I would stand by that viewpoint now that it is all over. Mind you, I liked Robocop, and I like The Agency, but it's a little too
predictable and familiar to call a great book.
This issue features the lead character, Virtual Jonez, facing down a mad and apparently psychic killer who has a strange attachment to her. It is reminiscent of the Clarice Starling/Hannibal Lecter relationship from Silence of the Lambs or Hannibal, only set in a dark
futuristic world right out of an 80s cyberpunk movie. Jenkins does a nice job of
setting the scene, with Virtual's reactions and thoughts coming across as
desperate but not frantic, conveying the danger of the villain without making
the heroine seem incompetent or weak.
Much of the atmosphere,
though, comes from the artwork. Hotz's work is terrific for depicting the
setting, a rain-soaked junkyard designed by a mad killer. The madness in the
killer's head, as well as the mad creature living inside Virtual's head, comes
to vivid life in the backgrounds and elements of the artwork, and the mixture of
a somewhat cartoony style for Mindi Mail only makes her seem more bizarre and
dangerous.
While this is an excellent
example of a particular type of story, the fact that it is so easily categorized
works against it. The creators get full marks for atmosphere and style, but I'm
sad that the intriguing premise of privatized law enforcement was sort of pushed
to the side so that we could get a story of a protagonist facing off with a
psycho killer. I was also, quite honestly, a bit lost at the end, as it was
clear that Virtual and the killer shared some sort of history or familiarity,
but I had no idea what it was. That's more a reflection on not having read the
rest of the story than anything else, but this is definitely one of those cases
where if you haven't read the rest of the book, every issue is not supposed to
be someone's first.
In the end, The Agency is a solid book with a good premise and
terrific artwork, but I was never quite drawn into it. The characters and
conflicts are all a bit too familiar to grab my attention, and the focus on a
single case rather than an exploration of the potentially interesting questions
raised by the central premise left me a little cold as well.
This comic book was not part of this week's new releases.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
