“Reaver” #8

There’s something compelling about stories involving a person’s struggle to improve and grow. In many cases, these stories involve the past coming back to haunt them taking the score of the person they were and who they are trying to become. It usually culminates in a moment, a realization that not only is it possible to improve but that it’s necessary, a triumphant moment when the character realizes the hero they can truly become. In “Reaver” #8, Justin Jordan and Niko Henrichon take this moment to the next level, writing an effective, moving, and intimate issue showing a person, despite all the forces in the universe, trying to become a better person.

Cover by Becky Cloonan

Written by Justin Jordan
Illustrated by Niko Henrichon
Colored by Nico Henrichon
Lettered by Clayton Cowles

Breaker and Rekala are on the verge of finding out what’s happened to the lost children of Haas Haaden, but the truth is far worse than they could have ever dreamed.

The majority of “Reaver” #8 focuses on Essen Breaker, a man who is running away from his past. The issue begins with him beaten down and broken, seemingly accepting defeat as he is saved by his old adventuring companion Rekala. While the initial moments of the comic have some action, it’s impressive how intimate the story quickly becomes. The majority of the issue is two conversations, one between Rekala and Essen and the other between Essen and Bren, his old friend who he has a long history with. While the majority of the conversation with Rekala center’s around her survival, it eventually takes on a more important tone, fate. It seems like both Essen and Rekala are bound by fate for a higher purpose. Rekala suggests as much, that running from your fate is a futile thing. To Rekala, it’s no coincidence that she and Essen are in this place together, that while Essen might not have been found by Thes, “She is a worker, very tricksy that one.” It’s all very done, Essen desperately trying to prove that he is not bound by fate or controlled by it, with Rekala gently rebuking him. It’s all well executed. Justin Jordan writes Rekala with an almost alien-sounding syntax, making her sound otherworldly and alien, an effect that is enhanced by Clayton Cowles’ lettering. While it’s not quite as runic as his work in Thor, it’s enough that I found myself reading her dialogue with just a touch of an accent. While this conversation is good, it pales in comparison to the conversation with Bren that finally gives Essen the push he needs.

Bren serves an important function in “Reaver” #8, he makes his friend better. While looking at his friend, broken and bruised, clearly in pain from his failure, Bren declares that while Essen has done enough, he shouldn’t be too hung up. That he had done enough. This prompts an important conversation. Both of these men were soldiers, both of these men have experienced the horror of war, and it changed both of them. Bren has become sardonic, “I have seen the war just never the spoils.” Bren uses this to keep himself distant from the world. But Essen, it seems, has had a change of heart. There is a powerful moment between these two men, having a quiet conversation, where we see Essen’s change of heart. Perhaps it is inspired by Rekala’s insistence on fate, perhaps it’s frustration at Bren’s aloof distance and insistence on focusing only on yourself, but in any case Essen has had enough, “We should have done better. Everyone should do better. I want to do better. I just don’t know how.” It’s incredibly powerful and Essen seems to shake off the pain and the hurt of earlier in the issue to get back up and do better. The issue ends with another action-driven sequence of Essen and Rekala, except that this time the two are working as a team, even is Essen is trying his best to not be quite as brutal a fighter as he once was. This moment of realization, the desire to become better, is incredibly effective. Jordan’s characterization of Essen early on makes it even more powerful when he comes to this conclusion, that it’s important to strive and work hard to be better, to help make your world a better place. That even in the face of failure, you have to rise again and help those around you.

Jordan’s script is very effective in “Reaver” #8, but it is all enhanced by Nico Henrichon’s art. Henrichon helps to make the issue have the level of intimacy that ultimately makes the issue work so well. This is done primarily by emphasizing Essen’s size. Many of the rooms that these conversations take place in are located in small cramped rooms, which really highlight Essen’s size and raw power. This works because even with the emphasis on his physical size, everything else about his body language is small and meek. He is sitting in ways that lessen his stature, the expressions on his face are sad and broken. It helps to show his inner struggle, this is a man who has taken down whole battalions on men, a fierce warrior, a giant, and yet here he sits almost minuscule. In the moments where he decided that no, he will in fact be better and help his world, his whole personality changes, he stands straight, head upright, fully showcasing his power. Henrichon is able to visualize the pain that the character is going through, while also showing what others are seeing. Bren and Rekala see this big hulking brute, but because of the events at the orphanize, we see a figure that almost looks more like a shell.

The coloring, too, of “Reaver” #8 is good. Most of the colors are incredibly dark and muted, which makes everything feel like natural lighting. For instance, in the alleyway, there is a higher emphasis on darker tones, making the alleyway feel large and ominous, highlighting the threat of Stagger. The fight in the orphanage has hints of orange glows as the fire spreads, but everything remains muted brown tones of the wood used burning up. Finally, the conversations in the room are also muted suggesting conversation by hearth or candlelight. Once again, this allows Henrichon to play with shadows and emotions, highlighting the character’s key moments. This works best in the backstory of Rekala. While the rest of the issue is muted tones, the vibrant red of her blood really stands out, leaving a big impression, even her red hair does not compare to the bright vibrant red of those two pages. By changing that color palette, it really makes the sequence stand out, but overall the coloring helps to create a unique tone for the comic, one that feels intimate, small, important.

A character choosing to be better, become more heroic, is not a new thing, but it’s a story that works well when done right. “Reaver” #8 achieves that by spending so much of the issue focusing on Essen’s pain. It’s by no means a given that he will make this change which means that when he finally decides to step up and become better, it makes it that much more impactful.

Final Verdict: 8.4 “Reaver” #8 tells a familiar story in a powerful, yet intimate way. Jordan and Henrichon are an excellent collaboration of visual storytelling.