Top Cow Productions/Image Comics 2017
Written by Matt Hawkins
Illustrated by Atilio Rojo
Lettered by Troy Peteri
If you follow Matt’s babies than this is the one you’ve been waiting for. After the events in Eden’s Fall changed the landscape in this world we’ve been been anxiously awaiting what Sam is going to do. So this is her story of what she’s been up to since the death of the only man she’s ever loved and learned that the man responsible has found a way to rise above the fray and become leader of the free world, or just the American President.
Once again if you haven’t been a fan of Matt’s yet please take the time to read this because the research the man does for his stories is utterly amazing. There’s an authenticity to the proceedings that you don’t often find in comics anymore. It’s one of the many reasons that I love reading Matt’s work, that and the fact that he doesn’t realise just how darn talented he truly is. So when you see a story with a Hacker or someone using the Dark Web you have to wonder if they’ve done their research, and just does one get on the Dark Web? Seriously I wanna know!
Now I adore the fact that much of this story is about Sam dealing with her emotions. From running away to gather her thoughts to discovering the current state of affairs we see her run the gamut. I like the stages of grief that we see and then when she succumbs to anger and revenge well that’s when things really get good. It’s kind of sad when revenge is a kind of justice in your eyes but here we are with an American President who is vile and deserves what she’s bringing him. Ironically comics are no longer the place where the American President is a joke, criminal or just that person so despised for their actions and personality.
I like the interior artwork here. Atilio really has a sharp eye for storytelling and that he uses backgrounds so effectively makes me so incredibly happy. Also his characters like Nick Leonelli who have these distinct looks, Nick looks like an old Mobster from Dick Tracy, and you know so much about their personality from their look is amazing to see. How he utilises page layouts through angles and perspective is nicely done and helps with the flow of the story.
I do like that we are seeing this combined universe in play more closely since Eden’s Fall. Granted no one in Eden is here but that’s okay they shouldn’t be. The way these characters are now intertwined and used by each other makes sense and is rather logical. When Sam talks to the people in her past compared to the people in her present as she discovers wine making and painting in France well it’s just great characterisation.
It’s kind of neat to see that flip of the switch, almost literally, where she goes from contented lost soul completely off the grid reinventing herself to pissed off woman scorned. It’s as if she snapped her fingers and viola now these guys better watch their asses. With her friends, skills and determination this is one woman whose bad side you really don’t want to be on. By contrast McKitrick is a man who believes himself above the law and on par with God himself so I cannot wait to see how Sam brings him down, and hopefully she does.
Get ready for a story about the Little Engine that Could as the Ant tries to move that Rubber Tree Plant because this is going to be some high octane roller coaster style thrills coming at us.