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Pick Of The Week: ZERO #1

By | September 19th, 2013
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Ales Kot has surprised us with “Wild Children” and impressed us with “Change” and now he has his first ongoing series with Image Comics. Can he keep up his reputation with his third major project? Would it be Pick Of The Week if he hadn’t?

Written by Ales Kot
Illustrated by Michael Walsh
SAVING THE WORLD. ONE MURDER AT A TIME.
Edward Zero is the perfect execution machine – a spy who breaks the rules to get things done. When a stolen device appears in the center of a long-running conflict, Zero comes to retrieve it. The problem is, the device is inside a living, breathing, bio-modified terrorist and there’s an entire army after it.

Spoiler alert: this is a really positive review because there is just a lot to like about “ZERO”. From Ales Kot’s extremely tight scripting to Michael Walsh’s gorgeous, atmosphere-infused artwork, this is a book that a lot of people have been waiting for and it does not disappoint. Kot brings back an idea that hasn’t really seen much success in recent years here: war comics. They used to be all the rage from the late 30s all the way through to the mid 80s, but have mostly dropped off the radar recently. Most recent war comics, especially those depicting wars in the Middle East, haven’t exactly seen much commercial success. I mean, just look at DC’s two attempts at revitalising the genre with the New 52. However, Kot seems to have masterminded a series that speaks to war the same way films like Saving Private Ryan; not simply by showing it as an excuse to have exorbitant violence, but by examining it’s effects on people.

“ZERO” is a harrowing tale. After stories like “Wild Children” and “Change”, it seemed almost expectant of Kot to continue writing stories that, for lack of a better comparison, harken back to early Vertigo Grant Morrison. However, here he displays the same kind of grounded, human narrative that he employed in “Suicide Squad”. Kot introduces us to Edward Zero, the protagonist of the story, through his narration and creates a complex and tortured character within the first few pages. Instantly, his talent of creating almost poetic narration hooks the reader into the story which is a perfect utilisation of a one-issue story. In one issue, Kot manages to introduce a world with enough intrigue achieved through complex and fully realised characters that will fuel interest for the ongoing story and creates and one-off story that has a full set-up and pay-off within the pages of the one issue. It is simply masterful storytelling that showcases once more that Ales Kot is one of the best writers in the industry already.

Kot is joined in this first issue by the first of many artists that will work on “ZERO” from issue to issue, Michael Walsh. To put it simply there could not have been a better choice to open this series with. Walsh’s pencils accurately convey the atmosphere of the harrowing war Kot’s words created. This brings such an edge to the violence seen on the page that Walsh manages to capture that life-or-death feel of war. It’s simply astounding not only the level of detail Walsh puts on the page, but also the level of emotion. Without erring towards any kind of emotional manipulation, the artwork of the book is able to show the horrors of war in some very emotionally complex scenes. This is largely juxtaposed with an honest-to-god, pulse pounding chase scene through war torn streets. This issue feels like if it had come from creators who weren’t as talented as Kot and Walsh, it would come off as simply a mash-up of all the war films from the last five to ten years. However, the creative team it does have has managed to make the issue compelling and fresh as a standalone issue and as the first of an ongoing story.

As always, special mention must go to Jordie Bellaire’s colours. This book really wouldn’t be what it is without them. While Walsh’s pencils intricately create this war-torn vista, it would be for nothing without the atmosphere created by Bellaire’s colours. Kot and Bellaire seem to be the two creative mainstays for “ZERO” with changing artists which will thankfully ensure that the atmosphere created here will carry on in further issues.

As stated, there is a lot to like about “ZERO” simply because of how much it does right. Kot’s writing is tight and evocative and captures the lost magic of the war comics through a really strong narrative. Michael Walsh’s artwork creates a harrowing war-torn landscape that easily blends small, emotional moments as well as pulse-pounding action scenes and intricate spywork. This is an extremely strong opening to a series that is set to go onto great things if this issue is any indcation.

Final Verdict: 9.3 – There is no reason to not pick this up.


Alice W. Castle

Sworn to protect a world that hates and fears her, Alice W. Castle is a trans femme writing about comics. All things considered, it’s going surprisingly well. Ask her about the unproduced Superman films of 1990 - 2006. She can be found on various corners of the internet, but most frequently on Twitter: @alicewcastle

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