Black Mask Studios takes on the current political climate in the way only they can.
Written & Illustrated by Amancay Nahuelpan
The country of Tairona became a no man’s land after the military coup. Guerrillas were formed across the lands, and rebels unified against the dictator to resist the regime. The hopes of many lay on Clandestino, who barely escaped from the military attacks as a child, and was then recruited by the rebel forces, to later lead the revolution against the dictator. An all-new miniseries by Amancay Nahuelpan (Young Terrorists, Boy-1, Robocop).
There is a very fine line between a story that is overtly political and overly political. In the case of overtly, it is something that might be subtle that cannot be talked about directly. Whereas an overly political story tends to bash you over the head with a point that is obvious. I prefer a story that is overt however I do feel there are many times an overly political story can work. “Clandestino” is the type of story that clearly making a point without being polarizing.
The story begins with eponymously named hero walking into a convenient store looking for matches. Upon his arrival, there are thugs working for a general (more on that in a second) who are looking to make a big score. Needless to say, Clandestino makes short work of these clowns with swift force. After this the year is 1973 and a political coup is happening in the country of Tairona. The military is sweeping in killing anyone who oppose them, leaving burning wreckage in their wake. Upon happen on a young mother and her son Niko, it becomes clear how dangerous things are. Young Niko is able to escape his fate and wandering through the desert hoping to find something. When Niko is on the brink of death, he is saved by force for the opposition, becoming Clandestino in the process. In the present day, Clandestino is once again in the cross hairs of the military forces. It is with their actions that Clandestino is out for revenge for years earlier and their present actions.
“Clandestino” is not the easiest of reads out there in the comic market. The story jumps between timelines, showing the building of the Clandestino we see today. Amancay Nahuelpan does not pull any punches with the portrayal of Clandestino. He is a man who has seen a lot in his short time, it changed him. He is hardly emotionless, if anything he is brutally calculating in his approach. Nahuelpan doesn’t give a lot of information about Clandestino’s training when the story comes back to the present. Clandestino is shown as an efficient killer focusing squarely on his mission to defeat the general at all costs. One thing is very clear, Clandestino is a hero regardless of what he is doing to achieve that. The final pages have excellent action but a semi-hokey love story that has been seen before. Granted not all of the details are out there, but as it stands this is one of my least favorite parts of the story. If Nahuelpan was looking for motivation for Clandestino, he already had it. It simply feels like an unnecessary addition for the sake of adding it.
Nahuelpan handles both the art and colors for #1 and he does not disappoint. There are a few different locales in this issue, each getting its own unique look to differentiate them. In the opening pages the action is occurring in the desert. It is sun drenched and bathed in yellows & oranges to reflect the heat in the area. This particular visual cue enforces the fact that things are hot and in a subtle way, about to get hotter. The battle in the convenient store is out of an action movie with glass and bullets flying everywhere. Interestingly enough there are no sound FX to add to the action. Nahuelpan lets his artwork do all of the heavy lifting in this scene. I cannot recall a book in recent memory that has done this, for me it adds to the mystique of the book.
Continued belowIn the other sequences, Nahuelpan makes things distinct to tell them apart. The flashback is shown in mostly black & white along with newspaper clippings to show the past. It is an interesting choice for sure, but I am not totally sold on it. The action breaks for essentially a two whole pages or prose that summarize what we already knew. Perhaps that would have played better if it was spliced into the present day, perhaps not. For a book that is trying to grab my attention, this was wasted space that could have been used for more art. Thankfully, this misstep is rectified when Clandestino is shown in the jungle in full hero mode. The lush greens of the jungle vegetation offsets the brutal violence that appears in the final act of issue #1. Nahuelpan excels in this area, giving a lot of detail to adsorb on these pages. The environment is a character here too and for good reason. Each landscape allows the reader to get into the mind & world of “Clandestino” without significant explanation. The “showing not telling” execution helps with the vastness of this world and the danger inside of it.
As a whole, “Clandestino” does offer many puzzle pieces that do not fully fit together yet. One thing I took away from this is there is major spin-off potential for the conflict. Nahuelpan has a map in the book to show what has happened up to this point. Is Clandestino fully involved in these battles? That is never explicitly addressed in this issue. In that regard, it might make for some interesting interactions or back story down the line. I do feel six issues will tell the full story of Clandestino the man, but not the world of “Clandestino.” That is not a criticism, more wishful thinking if anything else. Between the world building and the aura around him, “Clandestino” comes off like a mythological story of a great man. I am certainly looking forward to see how this unfolds, adding to the legend that is Clandestino.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Solid action, excellent art and logical world building give “Clandestino” all the right pieces to be a hit. Another great addition to Black Masks Studios incredibly diverse lineup.
