Did you know that none of the actors who have ever played James Bond would have made it as a spy in real life? Seriously, all of them are too good looking and have an annoying habit of standing out in a crowd; which is a trait that could get you either killed or incapable of pulling off an actual spy mission in the real world.
I bring this up because it is my personal opinion that no other profession is more glamorized or overblown than spying. While Hollywood has made a lot of money over the years off glamorous super spies with nifty gadgets and bottomless bank accounts, actual spying is a lot less glamorous and a lot more boring.
“Almost American” is a new comic book series that seems to be determined to shed some light on what it’s like to actually be a spy in today’s day and age. Let’s see how they’re different.
Written by Ron MarzCover by: Rus Wooton
Illustrated by Marco Castiello
Colored by Flavio Dispenza
Lettered by Rus Wooton
Spies…like us? In 2008, husband-and-wife Russian intelligence operatives walked into the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic in order to defect, making a deal to trade secrets for new lives. But instead of the American Dream, Janosh and Victorya Neumann found themselves caught up in red tape, bureaucracy and turf wars between the FBI and CIA – all while their past tries to kill them.
Based on the real-life story of real-life spies, ALMOST AMERICAN is written by comics master Ron Marz in close consultation with the Neumanns, with art by rising star Marco Castiello.
“Almost American” #1 opens in 2008 at the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic. Two tourists named Albert and Beatrice walk into the building and ask to speak to agents from the CIA. These tourists are actually Russian Intelligence operatives named Alexy Artamanov and Victorya Artamonova and they wish to defect to the United States, with the promise of information on state sponsored money laundering schemes, corrupt government officials, and lists of Russian assets in the West. Eventually, the CIA agrees to smuggle the couple out of the country and allow them to become Americans, kicking off a journey to a distant land they had been trained to fight against, and placing them in a web of lies, secrets, and new dangers.
The cover of “Almost American” #1 says that it was created by Jan Neumann, only to reveal at the end of the book that the man’s actual name is Janosh Neumann. It turns out that Neumann was a real life Russian spy who defected to the United States and had a brief career as an actor, making this one of those “based off a true story” books. With this kind of pedigree and creative force behind it, it’s safe to assume that “Almost American” #1 is probably one of the most realistic depictions of spycraft ever put to paper. This isn’t a world filled with swanky parties and cool gadgets; it’s a world filled with informal meetings, endless verification and trust building, and long cold rides in government vehicles that aren’t usually built for comfort and a steady diet of fast food.
With a creator like Neumann providing the authenticity and know how, it falls to longtime comic writer Ron Marz to turn “Almost American” #1 into a good comic book, and for the most part he succeeds. Marz has a great sense of pacing and timing, which allows the book to move along at a brisk pace that is easy to follow. On top of that, Marz does a very good job of weaving themes of homesickness, paranoia, and cold calculation into the script that go a long way towards humanizing the main characters and the people around them that are responsible for their safety and future.
While Marz does a very good job of creating a great story with great characters in “Almost American” #1, there are certain limitations and necessities to the story that limit its ability to be a great comic book. Despite all the weighty themes of patriotism and trust, it’s still a story about a bunch of people sitting around and talking to each other. This means there isn’t a whole lot of action, and while Marz does everything in his power to keep the story moving and give the audience stuff to look at, certain readers are probably going to find this story a bit boring.
Continued belowThe artwork for “Almost American” #1 is provided by Marco Castiello, and it shares a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses as the writing. Castiello has an interesting style of drawing where certain objects in the panel will be drawn with a keen attention to detail while everything looks highlighted by some pretty dark and heavy lines. Meanwhile, he does some very interesting things with his characters where the same lines appear on the outline of their faces and bodies, but sometimes their features look a bit jumbled and sketched. It’s an entertaining style, although it feels like it would be more at home on a superhero book. Like the writing, the art does struggle to find ways to be entertaining, although Castiello does help the book by getting very creative with what goes in each panel.
“Almost American” #1 is an incredibly realistic portrayal of what it’s actually like to be a spy, and all of the emotional and mental stress it takes to betray one’s country and find a new home. While it may not appear to be very exciting or engaging on the surface, there’s a lot of very interesting themes and ideas to keep it going.
Final Verdict: 8.0- What it lacks in action and end of the world stakes, it makes up for in well paced, well written dialogue and emotional stakes.
