Image Comics 2015
Created & Written by Mark Millar
Created & Illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque
Coloured by Dave McCaig
Lettered & Designed by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Gosh I’m just such a huge fan of this book. Mark is such an amazing writer and the way he can weave a story together is something I completely marvel at time and again. Huck isn’t like any character we’ve come across in comics and that alone is cause for celebration but this issue Mark goes and ups the ante and really showcases how much more there is to him than we’ve seen thus far. I always thought he wasn’t as slow or simple as he was made out to be and i’m thoroughly thrilled to be proven right.
So after Tom shows up and gets Huck to go find his momma, which by the way smelled rotten a mile off but still held the promise of hope it was real, they were captured. Now this issue picks up there and I gotta tell ya i’m kind of thrilled and amazed by what we get here. Alright so everyone is back in Russia at a secure and long forgotten facility used in the Communist Heyday. I love this I mean there are so many facilities worldwide that really have been forgotten and ignored or left to rot in the elements so that this one is still being used is great. I really do love the idea of seeing these kinds of places and i’d love to see more of them explored and who ends up inhabiting them.
As we get our real first good look at Professor Orlov these days and how he’s been treated and now reacts to the betrayal he suffered all those years ago it’s pretty damn good. There’s a lot to him that really begs and screams for him to not only get through this but to go into hiding can keep his work going and come back in another arc to tell his story and his ideas and plans for the future of his Russia. So many diverse and interesting characters on display here that we can’t help but get caught up in them and want to see them explored more.
Aside from the incredible characterization and story progression we see here the interiors are just as strong. Rafael and Dave work so well together to highlight the good, bad, light and dark moments so incredibly well. I love seeing Huck’s mother’s eyes so vividly blue that regardless of what is going on around them they shine like a beacon. Then of course there’s Huck and how they can show his innocence and simplicity in such genuine and authentic ways and the contrast with Tom or should we call him XV now?
I love the originality on display with this book. So much you can read into it about today’s society and how we should live our lives or just sit back, relax and enjoy the seeming naivete of Huck. In any way you take the story it’s wonderfully done. It’s rare anymore to find yourself liking, rooting and having that real connection to a character who is so unlike you. Huck is one of those guys that makes me wish I were a better person and who knows maybe i’m changing because of it.