“Zero” is a wave that refuses to crest. After last month’s game-changing issue, Vanesa Del Rey joins Ales Kot to shake up Edward Zero’s world just a little bit more in “Zero” #6.
Written by Ales Kot
Illustrated by Vanesa Del Rey
Colored by Jordie BellaireThe Large Hadron Collider. Edward Zero’s newly gained knowledge. A man with a plan to end the universe so a better one can be born.
They all connect here.
It was clear from the beginning that “Zero” was more than mere spy thriler, rolled up in a progressive, world-savvy wrapper. The other shoe finally dropped in last month’s “Zero” #5, clueing readers into just where Edward’s story is heading. However, with issue #6, Kot demonstrates how little we still know about this world.
The series, at least thus far, as formed a sort of symmetry, with recent issues building off a specific previous issue. Issue #4 is a pseudo-sequel to #2, as is issue #5 to #1. Issue #6 is very much a continuation of “Zero” #3, following up on the mysterious and seeming undead terrorist Ginsberg Nova.
“Zero” #6 is, at its core, a wonderful study in minimalism. Few pages feature more than three colors, with many consisting of Del Rey’s pencils under a solid color lens. Long stretches pass with nary a word balloon. One page features only two small panels, framed by large black borders. When there is dialogue, it is quick to the point, smartly written, and powerful. The issue comes in quietly, builds slowly and ominously, hits hard, and then fades out. Or is that phases out?
It bears stating that the production on this issue is off the chart. Del Rey continues the legacy of the murderer’s row of artists that have preceded her, delivering a finished product of singular beauty. Her style, loosely pencilled with sharp, rough lines, calls to mind artists like Rafael Albuquerque and Sean Murphy. That’s high praise, but the artist’s work is far more than a riff on contemporary styles. Del Rey’s work is all her own.
Appropriately, Ginsberg Nova takes note of one of the things that makes Del Rey’s art so special. “Your eyes look different…” There’s something truly special about the life the artist instills in her character’s eyes. Few artists ever truly capture the depth of meaning contained in the human eye, but somehow Del Rey and colorist Jordie Bellaire do just that. Even when they are small as pen pricks, the character’s eyes contribute an incredible level of detail and emotion to his or her face.
Eyes seem to form a sort of motif, with ocular shapes featured prominently throughout the issue. Even the setting, CERN, houses the eye-esque Large Hadron Collider. The portal from issue #3 makes a return in a stunning double page spread, appearing as massive technological eye; a glowing bubbling pupil wreathed by a mechanical iris. It may be absolute coincidence, but such things are rare in an Ales Kot comic.
Another piece of production that shows the level of care put into this book is the sound-effect lettering. In the midst of a heated fight, onomatopoeias are hastily scrawled over the art with brush-like strokes. Gunshots ring out, washing over one another in a mess of sound that washes over the artwork. Harsh and sloppy, it’s a small detail that draws the reader further into the gripping illusion of battle.
Certainly, Kot is building a tangled web, one that is just as much sci-fi as it is spy thriller. However, with all the high concepts and larger than life ideas, the book’s success rests on its small cast. There’s still much we don’t know about Zero, Zizek, Cooke, and Nova (although you will no more about this one after this issue), but their complex and stunted relationships with one another are irreversibly gripping. Each conversation carries a heavy weight and each betrayal cuts like a knife, belying the series’ relative youth.
One might argue that Kot relies too heavily on repeated, abstract lines dialogue, giving the illusion of melodrama. However, when the book remains so tightly plotted and the characters so engaging and well realized, that argument fails to find ground.
Continued belowRather, if there’s fault with this issue, it’s that it shows that the book reads marginally better in larger chunks than in single issues. However, that’s hardly a fault of Kot, but rather consequence of serialized storytelling in a post-Netflix world. Readers who have recently devoured the “Zero” Vol. 1 are far more likely to get this issue’s rewarding revelation at first go. Monthly readers, on the other hand, are likely to be found scratching their heads as they dig through long boxes, flipping through previous issues for refreshers and clues. One thing is for sure, Kot brilliantly pays off on seeds planted in previous issues, however subtle or innocuous those seeds may have been.
While “Zero” #5 was arguably a bigger game changer from a plot and thematic standpoint, “Zero” #6 shakes things up on a very emotional level. Of course, the exact emotion that’s elicited will vary from reader. Built on the foundation of one enigmatic question, “Where did the horses go?”, the issue is the very definition of abstract. Kot has literally opened a door to infinite possibilities, and it will be fascinating to see just which one he chooses to take us through.
Final Verdict: 9.1 – Buy. An emotionally evocative read that smartly builds on previous issues.
