Vault Comics 2017
Written by F.J. Desanto & Todd Farmer
Illustrated by Frederico Dallocchio
Lettered by Travis Lanham
Forced out of exile, legendary insurgent hunter John Ravane meets the team assigned to help him eliminate a new breed of super soldier. Facing down the truth, Ravane struggles to embrace his mission, leaving a contingent of escaped insurgents the perfect opportunity to launch a raid on their command center. Are Ravane and his team ready for the onslaught?
Part of what makes a story work is its believability. How well you can get your readers to believe the premise then connect with it. So that there are so many people who have unknowingly been infected with these nanobots that make them insurgent warriors. So far a few have been awakened but the threat is out there for more, a lot more and it’s up to the President to try and enact his plan to safeguard his country by any means necessary.
Okay the premise is solid, I can see a series of doctors infecting people randomly without rhyme or reason at the behest of a leader who envisions something for the greater good of mankind. On the flipside why that man has to have that mask which looks so inherently evil is beyond me. Two forces on opposing sides where each one is convinced they are serving mankind doesn’t mean one has to be “good” and the other “evil.” I’d rather have seen him just like everyone else without that disturbing mask.
I’m so impressed with Frederico’s work on the interiors here. I mean wow the attention to detail is utterly astonishing and the linework is so clean and smooth it’s a true joy to look at. His eye for storytelling as seen through the use of page layouts and the utilisation of angles, perspective and backgrounds really work to bring us fully into the story. Plus his ease of faces, facial expressions and body language serve to enhance the characterisation to the point where we actually kind of want to slap characters for acting so smug.
The characterisation here is phenomenal. From the President to his niece to Ravane we know who these people are, what motivates them and how they think of themselves. While we may not immediately like how they act and behave all of them fit perfectly into the story where they’ve been placed. You believe these people exist based on their words and actions and that is what we as readers look for. The story development here is great and I like the way things are playing out since they have those twists and turns that make the unexpected seem normal.
I’m amazed time and time again when it comes to Vault and what they have brought to the table. This series is building in ways that are perfect in it’s function. The first issue was a huge start this one builds upon that and is better than the first and i’m hoping that this continues as the series progresses. So much promise already and this creative team is really strong I cannot wait for what’s next.