Image Comics 2017
Created & Written by Sean Mackiewicz
Created & Illustrated by Niko Walter
Coloured by Mat Lopes
Lettered by Rus Wooten
Fugitives. Rebels. Newlyweds. In their journey south from El Norte, Amalia and Randy have played many roles in order to survive. Now, they must become unlikely leaders in the fight against a new cartel who uses inhuman tactics to ignite the most monstrous war Mexico—and the world—has ever seen.
Alright Sean is laying the foundation for something interesting here. Our main couple aren’t exactly made to appear as Donna and Dr. Alex Stone and there’s a reason for that. This is a harsh and brutal reality where Cartel’s rule and they grow more and more powerful everyday. They are ruthless, vindictive and more powerful than most government’s and then there’s the fact that there’s something else entirely going on here as well. I really like what Sean is doing here and how complex the storytelling is.
The opening is perfect for this series as are it’s first words which may just be more prophetic than you may realise. It also starts the story and characterisation off as we get to know these two just a little bit more. Then without warning he starts off with the action here and starts showing us what kind pacing we can expect from him as this moves forward. It’s extremely solid and showcases a myriad of options for the reader’s mind to wander off to. I like the way we as reader’s are being led in one direction while the slight of hand happening off camera says it’s something else entirely.
As more character’s are introduced the situation becomes worse and more volatile the story and the characterisation increase exponentially. Also our couple, Randy (El Doctor) and Amalia, show us how much they care for one another as well how precarious their relationship actually is. It’s a nice dichotomy actually to see both the love and the weakness in their life and makes them seem more real and relatable to.
Niko and Mat do some really strong work on this book. His linework is spectacular and the way he uses the imagery to evoke emotions is nice to see. The use of angles and perspective in the panels as they are laid out showcases a good eye for storytelling. Major impacts on the bloody aspects that we see both from the cartel and the farm because they are concise and bloody while conveying a meaning behind them all without the unnecessary gore effects. I’m really digging the way the boys bring this to life. Also I’m a huge supporter of people who not only use backgrounds but understand their importance and I gotta say Niko kudos man kudos.
So while there’s plenty of social commentary on how messed up our world is that these Cartel’s and what they do actually exist there’s also a fictionalised element at play that keeps this from being a straight up factual encounter. It’s interesting, diverse and full of things we need or should be looking out for. I mean kidnapping, payments to them, possible drug running and a whole lot more is what happens in the real world and we need to stop turning a blind eye at the kind of violence this breeds.
Also I like Arguello who we are introduced to here as well. Randy meets him in the market and shows him a bunch of stuff that the cartel who may have his bosses son has done. Is he cop or scholar or both eh read it and see what happens. All I know is that he’s a great addition to this book and hopefully one of it’s mainstay supporting cast. I say this because in this world the chances of people living all that long are not too great.
Strong, interesting and full of angst, the right kind of angst too, this blends the real world with fiction in ways that will blur how you see reality.