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Advance Review: Cold Space #4

By | September 1st, 2010
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Written by Samuel L. Jackson, Eric Calderon
Drawn by Jeremy Rock
COVER A: Dave Johnson
COVER B: Jeffrey Spokes

From legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson and Emmy-nominee Eric Calderon (Afro Samurai)! The conflict between the warring factions has reached critical mass, and Mulberry wants his money! Will he survive the gang warfare? Will he get the hot chick? This is the comic finale of the year with Samuel L. Jackson’s stamp of approval, so don’t miss it! Covers by Dave Johnson and Jeffrey Spokes.

Check behind the cut for my thoughts on the final issue to Sam Jackson and Eric Calderon’s latest collaboration.

I love me some Samuel Jackson. The man is pretty much the only guy who can go in a film, act like himself, and make it work 100% of the time (well, act like what we perceive as him). So the question was, would this still translate well to the world of comic books? Well, when you team up Jackson with co-creator of the Afro Samurai show Eric Calderon, the answer is a definitive yes.

The reason that Cold Space is a good comic is because it never really takes itself too seriously, and you don’t have to either. A comic can still be good when it presents itself as a surface value creation, and Sammy J’s outgoing personality is very easily translatable across the medium. Throughout the entire mini, you really got the feeling that this was Samuel L Jackson in the comic book. The story was fun and sharp, and it had plenty of moments in it that translated to over the top bad-ass hilarity. I mean, he shoots a gun and the bullet goes (via slow motion) into the barrel of a flame thrower, which then backfires and burns off the villain’s arm. Where else would that be acceptable but a Samuel L Jackson comic?

Calderon has such a great feel for writing these characters for Jackson to embody. He did it well in Afro Samurai and played great tribute to a variety of influences, and Cold Space does this as well. This has ended up being space Shaft in a way, and Mulberry has made for an entertaining hero when you look at him through the Jackson lense. Calderon and Jackson ultimately make a great team, and they’ve proven that with two characters now. They understand how to write action properly so that you don’t have to take it too seriously to enjoy it, and a comic like Cold Space can easily appeal to the same time of people who can enjoy a movie like the Expendables.

I also think that they picked a great artist with Jeremy Rock. In many ways, his style of art seems very influenced by manga (at least in the faces), and the action is written very smoothly. This is the big “final fight” issue, with a LOT going on. Rock does a good job of taking the time to really flesh out some of the more ridiculous and bad ass moments, including arms being ripped off and people being flipped all over the place. It’s a very fluid read, and it has a nice and smooth edge to it that makes me think of artists like Joe Eisma and Adrian Alphona.

Cold Space is a comic that knows it doesn’t have to take itself too seriously to be a good comic. With it’s four issues, it’s been an incredibly fun (albeit short) read. If I had one complaint to the book, it’s that I wish it had been longer. When it ends, you get the feeling that Calderon and Jackson will probably come back to these characters at some point, because there is a lot of room to evolve. I just think that the story told within these four issues could have been fleshed out a bit more. Part of it feels a tad rushed, but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyability of the book at all. Pure and simple, this is a damn fun read, and in all honesty that’s enough.

Final Verdict: 8.2 – Buy


Matthew Meylikhov

Once upon a time, Matthew Meylikhov became the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Multiversity Comics, where he was known for his beard and fondness for cats. Then he became only one of those things. Now, if you listen really carefully at night, you may still hear from whispers on the wind a faint voice saying, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not as bad as everyone says it issss."

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