Wednesday, June 29, 2011

"Makes Kick-Ass look like Shit!"

And these were the very words emblazoned on the cover of the 1st issue of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Nemesis. Yes folks, welcome to another edition of Random........Comic.....Review.....

I chose this particular comic because it promised to be different than anything else on the market at the time, even though in reality, it presented the type of action and violence anyone who's already read a Mark Millar comic expected.
I'll get to what I personally think and what others have said about it later.

First, on to the review.....

Nemesis#1 "Chapter One"(May 2010) by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven


The comic starts off in Toyko, Japan, where the police commissioner is being held captive by a super-villain dressed in all white and no logo. The villain's taunting the commissioner with a list of things he's failed to keep the villain from doing. While all this is happening, a task force or swat team is running towards a building that seems to be the same one where the commissioner and villain are. Unfortunately for the swat team, the mysterious villain in white purposely led the men into a trap. The building there in is not where the commissioner is, but a room filled to the hilt with explosives. It explodes, causing the building to smash into an underground train station. The commissioner is then shown to be seated in what's probably the same underground train station. After more taunting by the mysterious villain, he police commissioner begs to end his shame. To which the villain responds "All in good time, sir. I said ten thirty-five on the card I sent and the train doesn't come for another twenty seconds." The commissioner responds with "Train? What train?" and then in comes the high-speed train that runs right over the police commissioner.
To add further insult to injury, the very train that ran over the commissioner falls to its own destruction since there no longer any track left to keep it afloat.

And with that, the mysterious villain in white decides to target America next.

The comic shifts to the inside of a convenience store in Washington,D.C. that was being robbed. The would-be robbers are brutely and quickly gunned down a disguised chief of police. When asked by his Sargent how he managed to get in, he responds "Well, crack-heads tend not count their hostages son. I just wandered in the back door wearing a baseball cap."
Remind me to ask a crack-head to confirm that last remark.

The chief's name is Blake Morrow, and he's approached by two FBI agents that tell ask him if he's ever heard of the Nemesis situation? He asks if they mean the cop-killer in Japan? They say yes, and hand him a business card with his name and a date on it. This is supposed to be when Chief Marrow's supposed to die. He immediately begins the process of placing his wife and family into protective custody.

We now see Air Force One getting hijacked by Nemesis. He jumps onto the plane, killing the pilots immediately. He quickly jumps into the plane and pilots it down through a nearby tunnel. The plane suddenly blows up, killing all or most of the people nearby.


Nemesis then takes over the television airways taunting Chief Morrow. We then see the president beaten, tied-up, and at the feet of Nemesis. To be continued.

So, what do I think? This series was supposed to be under the premise "what if Batman was a super-villain?" Now I don't own the other 3 issues, but if you want to know how it all ends in case you don't already now, feel free to wiki it.

I honestly liked what I read. Sure I was kind of shocked to see a guy to so violently and graphically rundown by a high-speed train, but then again this is a Mark Millar comic we're talking about. If you've read Wanted(liked the movie, but wish they kept the super-villain/powers in it), Old Man Logan, and The Authority by him, then you'd know what to expect.


Other reviewers weren't too kind to the series; mostly they felt that it was too typical of Millar, flat, lacking characterization and depth. I guess some of that is true, but I did enjoy the 1st issue nonetheless, and probably should hunt the other three down, or get the trade. Kick-Ass is another good book by Millar that I keep meaning to buy. Millar and Romita Jr. basically give us Spider-Man for 21st century in that one, as the main character becomes and a you-tube sensation after his 1st case. Good stuff that you should at least check out.

Okay I'm outta' here.

No comments:

"Closing time. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here."

Well..... I kinda always knew this day would come, and it sure has. It's been a hell of a ride, but it's time to for it end. Ti...