Image Comics 2017
By Kaare Kyle Andrews
Lettered by Jeff Powell
I love that comics can and do reflect the current mood and feel of the time they are made in. If the 1% weren’t so gosh darn self-absorbed asshats this book probably wouldn’t have been made. They’ve all the more prominent lately as they’ve become vocal in ensuring they pay less taxes and control more government, see #45. We’ve all had the fantasy of being able to off them one at a time or en masse, someone is lying if they say otherwise or they are one of the 1%, so it’s more than just social commentary it’s fantasy driven look at what our fantasies are made of.
Kaare delves into our inner darkness and created a franchise that stands out by embracing the violence inherent in all of us as well as our hatred and contempt for those who continue to think their money gives them power and privilege over everyone else. Just because you come from money doesn’t mean you aren’t trash people I mean look at #45 and his family okay. Then of course there’s the fact that he’s also not afraid of showing us Renato in all his glory and all his pain an sorrow making him that much more human and accessible, yes the characterisation here is utterly fantastic.
His conceptualisation of the work he’s doing really takes talent, skill and more determination than we give credit for. I mean this is a one-man venture and to see how it all comes together so spectacularly is mind blowing. Oh and I’m including the photo adverts in this too because they are just as creative and stellar in meaning as everything else we see. The artwork is fun, flirty and dangerous in its own right and I adore that we get to see him bring this to life the way he wants us to see it. From character designs, who look like familiar faces, to individuals that exude their personality there’s literally something for everyone.
There’s a portion of this issue that makes me think of the old adage “be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it” when it comes to the President we see in these pages. Yes he’s Bliss’s father and yes he’s one of those 1% that Renato wants to take down but he represents so much more as well. His actions and how he’s seen here well it’s kind of remarkably familiar if you keep up with American politics at all. Still it’s just as compelling, scary and interesting in its own way and it does mirror the times eerily well.
So Bliss seems to be in a spot of trouble and Renato isn’t there to bail her out of it. We’ll see how that plays out next issue but she continues to be that one person who remains an enigma to me in that she fully takes advantage of her position but yet could adapt easily to being without it if she had to. Not as flighty as she appears, the younger version we saw clearly demonstrates that, it’s easy to see what Renato sees in her.
Renato is in that place where he’s questioning himself and everything he’s doing and that’s dangerous for a man like him. More so because he’s hitting self pity and questioning everything it’s a great way to continue to develop him and show his strength of characters as he finds a way past that.
There really are a myriad of reason to adore this book. Kaare is a superb storyteller whose distinctly memorable words and pictures take you beyond the pages.