Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez reunite for an ongoing tale of immortality, endless war and what life means when there is no death. Despite that weighty premise, the end result is surprisingly fun. Read on for our review, which contains only minor spoilers.
Written by Greg Rucka
Illustrated by Leandro FernandezEisner-winning writer GREG RUCKA (LAZARUS, BLACK MAGICK, Wonder Woman) and critically acclaimed artist LEANDRO FERNANDEZ (THE DISCIPLINE, Deadpool, Punisher: MAX) team up together to introduce THE OLD GUARD, the story of old soldiers who never die?and yet cannot seem to fade away. Trapped in an immortality without explanation, Andromache of Scythia – ‘Andy’ – and her comrades ply their trade for those who can find-and afford-their services. But in the 21st century, immortality is a hard secret to keep, and when you live long enough, you learn that there are many fates worse than death.
“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” This famous quote not only suits the central themes of “Old Guard” but kicks off this debut issue, right underneath an introduction of sorts written by Rucka, calling this new story a “fairy tale of blood and bullets.” That term, “fairy tale” carries with it the feeling of adventure, of light whimsy, somewhat at odds with the words “blood” and “bullets,” and yet there’s no denying that dichotomy is at the heart of this issue. This is one of the more fantasy-oriented and fun of Rucka’s output, and for a book which deals with a team of immortal warriors, blessed (or perhaps more aptly, burdened) with centuries of life and experience, cursed to fight and die over and over again until death becomes meaningless, there feels like a concerted effort to not let anything deeper slow down the sense of globe-trotting adventure that sweeps you through the narrative.
“Old Guard” #1 focuses on Andy, the de facto leader of the immortal quartet due to the fact that she’s the oldest. Through an introductory splash page we’re shown her fighting and dying on many battlefields repeatedly through history. Juxtaposed against these are scenes of her conquests off the battlefield with numerous lovers in various hotel rooms down the centuries, working in tandem with her narration to illustrate just how meaningless living is when you cannot die. All of this is brilliantly captured by Fernandez who, along with Daniel Miwa’s colors, evokes Frank Miller’s “300” in his use of shadow and silhouette, especially during the ancient battle scenes, and through his meticulous attention to the minutiae of military dress throughout the centuries, he paints an atmospheric and accurate picture of a timeless warrior.
Fernandez plays with light and shade really effective throughout this issue, making the most of what’s not there as much as what is. Yes, it’s evocative of Miller in the early scenes, perhaps purposefully so, but his style is very much his own. A panel showing fellow immortal Joe holding a coffee up to his colleague Andy, her image sliced and segmented by strips of white space instantly creates a feeling of the early morning sun blinding and obscuring Joe’s view. This trick is used throughout the issue, and conversely his use of shadow to build an image is just as effective in scenes like one near the end of the book involving a covert mission under the cover of darkness.
As mentioned before, there’s an energy to this book that feels deliberately pulpy and adventurous, and this is paced nicely by Fernandez. There are five splash pages in the issue, which sounds like a lot, especially for a non-superhero book, yet there’s a deliberate purpose for each that go beyond the bombastic. There’s the aforementioned introduction to Andy, adding a widescreen drama to her many lives and deaths, and the rest are reserved for the latter half of the issue to show off the team of warriors doing what they do best; working and fighting as an efficient and deadly unit. Instead of one large image however, the splash pages are a frenetic bombardment of the previously promised blood and bullets, the background of which is often nothing more than onomatopoeic lettering, making you hear and feel the action on the page.
Continued belowIt’s this scene where Fernandez truly tells us so much about the core cast of characters. His use of body language shows us a group of people competent in their actions and comfortable with each other, a trust built up over centuries. Each of the team have an archaic weapon on their person that seems at odds with their modern mercenary look, betraying their age and history on the battlefield. The choreography is spot on for an action scene like this too, using multiple ‘ghosts’ of the characters in a single panel to illustrate the fluid movement of, for example, Andy sweeping her battleaxe through numerous enemies, and demonstrating just how effectively honed their skills throughout the ages.
Speaking of effective teams, it’s clear that Rucka and Fernandez work well together. The storytelling here feels equally split between the art and the words on the page, Rucka giving Fernandez the narrative beats and character voices, and Fernandez using panel composition and splash pages to pace the scenes and really control the momentum of the book.
There’s a lot more that is being set up in this book; the scene in Afghanistan introducing us to another character with a separate yet intrinsically linked storyline, teasing future themes of what it means to be a modern warrior compared to the old souls that make up the core cast; the aforementioned battle which concludes with a dilemma that, by its very nature, couldn’t have been presented to immortals in their previous lives; the hint of an enemy that knows too much (always the most threatening kind;) and most importantly a group of characters that have lifetimes of backstory to tell in future issues.
“Old Guard” #1 takes a concept – immortal warriors battling throughout time – that may not be new, but through engaging characters and fantastic art, Rucka and Fernandez have presented a fresh take on the ideas presented. Plus it turns the whole thing on its head to a certain degree; usually the immortal warrior trope is accompanied by an endless mission, a timeless purpose to drive the battle. Here, so far, there seemingly is no purpose to their immortality, which not only makes death meaningless but life too. This rather bleak realization may be enough to bring a dour tone to other books, but for “Old Guard” that’s merely an excuse to let rip and hurtle headlong into a globe-trotting adventure that promises to be as timeless as its cast.
Final verdict: 8.8 – A fantastic, action packed debut issue with a fresh take on a familiar concept, ageless characters and lifetimes worth of gorgeous art.
