First off, I’ve gotta say that I’ve been waiting months for this book to come out. As soon as I heard about it, I was instantly on board. How could you not be with Mark Millar and Steve McNiven?
This morning I bound from my slumber like a kid at Christmas. “Nemesis comes out today,” I whispered geekily to myself. When I heard that this week’s comic shipment got here this morning, you could see a trail of papers flying around in my wake.
After I got my hands on my copy, I quickly consumed it. After I was done, I started over from the first page to savor McNiven’s amazing artwork. Dude is seriously talented (obvious statement of the day out of the way). For reals though folks, McNiven knocks it out of the park.
From Nemesis’ smirk on page four to blood spatter that’s peppered throughout the book to the terror on peoples’ faces when they’re about to die, it’s clear McNiven is in love with his craft. He conveys the speed of bullets, planes and trains beautifully. When other artists forget to pay attention to the backgrounds and cityscapes, McNiven shines. The locations are just as much a character as Nemesis or the hero cop he’s targeting. I’m a fan.
I don’t want to give too much away for those who have already ordered their copy, but you can highlight the space below to see my spoilery review.
HIGHLIGHT BELOW FOR SPOILERS:
The premise is pretty simple. Imagine the most badass villain that you can and nobody in the world has been able to stop him. There it is.
Nemesis is grounded in reality–he’s got no super-human abilities to speak of (none that we know of, anyway), just a man with a plan and the means to make things happen. This issue sees our antagonist taunt and murder Tokyo’s Police Chief with such little effort that it’s almost laughable.
Nemesis is almost too good at what he does. I think that’s actually the point though. He’s the world’s only super-criminal—a ravenous Rottweiler who’s been unleashed. Millar does a really good job at writing Nemesis’s flippant attitude toward law, order, and human life. At one point, as people are fleeing for their lives, he says “That’s right, you little peasants! Run!” That single panel told me all I needed to know about his character.
We’re then introduced to Blake Morrow, the Police Chief of Washington D.C.. I really like what Millar’s doing here. Morrow is the best of the best. He’s intelligent, calculating, mindful, and successful. Crime has decreased 60% because of his initiatives and the word on the street is that he’s getting gig Homeland Security. In short, he’s the best there is. We care about his character and empathize for the situation he’s about to face. Too bad he’s gonna die.
I don’t know what the hell happened, but Nemesis has been waiting to take on Morrow. There’s some sort of history there dating back decades and he’s out for revenge. Did you feel that? You got chills just then, didn’t you? Did I mention that Nemesis single-handedly takes down Air Force One? I warned you things would get be spoilery.
Wicked, huh?
The only thing I’m left wondering is why you’re still reading this review. Get this book now. If you dig any of Millar’s previous work: Wanted, Kick-Ass, Old Man Logan, Marvel’s Civil War, you need to get this book. If you’ve got a darker side, that side should be buying this book now. Do it while you can, it will definitely sell out.
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