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TANGLED WEB #4
"Severance Package"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $2.99 US/$4.50 CAN |
Greg Rucka is one of those
writers who has rarely faltered for me, and this story sounded right up his
alley. The same is true of Eduardo Risso, whose art has been consistently
beautiful on 100 Bullets. This story explores the aftermath of Spidey's actions,
the effect that his work has on the criminal underlings whose work he has
interrupted, and it's a fascinating look at mob life in the Marvel Universe. The
story is fairly fatalistic, and we know from the beginning where the story is
going, but it's still interesting to watch it all unfold, largely due to
incredible characterization and gorgeous artwork.
What strikes me about this issue the most
is that it's the kind of story Marvel doesn't usually tell, and the kind of
thing people have been looking for from their "mature" line announcements.
Spider-Man is here, in one single background panel and in the implications of
what he has done, but this is mostly a straight-forward crime story about a
relatively normal guy and his abnormal job. Rucka and Risso nicely set the tone
with normal routines: brushing teeth, undressing for bed, putting the baby down
to sleep... this could be any family in the country. But a single phone call
changes all that and puts tension into the story that shows through in every
panel from then on.
I've seen the kind of chemistry Azzarello
and Risso have on 100 Bullets, and I'm impressed that the chemistry continues
with Rucka and Risso as well. Rucka knows when to lay off and let Risso tell the
story, from sequences where lead character Tom considers suicide or simply
arming himself to the quiet desperation felt by Tom's wife Shelly as they talk
in the bedroom and the kitchen. While I found Buccellato's colors almost garish
in comparison to Mulvihill's more subtle work on 100 Bullets, the color work is
still very professional and helps to keep the mood and style that Risso has
become known for.
The plot of this issue is fairly simple, as
a man gets dressed and goes to work, heading for an unpleasant destiny with a
code of honor similar to that of samurai. His professionalism is more important
to him than his life, and his quiet and reserved nature comes through very well
in his words, especially when he breaks it to reveal a human side, telling his
wife how much he loves her or "breaking character" at the end to ask a favor of
his murderer.
I wasn't wild about "The Thousand," the
inaugural story of Tangled Web, but if this is the kind of story we're going to
see more of from the series, I think Marvel may have a hit on its hands.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
