Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Leroy Douresseaux on RAGE #2

RAGE #2 (OF 3)
DARK HORSE BOOKS

SCRIPT: Arvid Nelson
PENCILS: Andrea Mutti
INKS: Pierluigi Baldassini
COLORS: Michael Atiyeh
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Glenn Fabry
32pp, Color, $3.50

“After the Impact” Part 2 of 3

Rage, the upcoming first-person shooter game from id Software, is also a comic book. Dark Horse Comics is publishing the three-issue comic book miniseries, also entitled Rage, based on the game from the developers of Doom and Quake. Written by Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi) and drawn by Andrea Mutti, “After the Impact,” is an original tale and an introduction to the world of Rage.

Rage takes place on an Earth that was struck by Asteroid 99942 – codename: Apophis – on April 13, 2037. Five billion people die within 24 hours, but a tiny fraction of the population survived devastation by living in burrowing cryo arks. They emerged to find Earth a wasteland controlled by a global military dictatorship called the Authority. It is 2095, and Dr. Elizabeth Cadence is revived. Now, she is the scientist determined to discover the full extent of the Authority’s deceptions.

In Rage #2, Elizabeth believes that the radiation from Apophis is not the cause of the mutation that has turned survivors into mindless, bloodthirsty marauders. She confronts her old colleague Dr. Antonin Kvasir, a fellow survivor who is also working for the Authority, but whatever he knows, he is afraid to discuss for fear of being murdered. Meanwhile, Elizabeth discovers just how much of a bastard Authority officer, Colonel James Casey, is.

I’m not sure if Rage the comic book will make anyone want to play Rage the came, but if they read Rage, they’ll be getting a good read. The streamlined script by Arvid Nelson offers deft characterization and engaging conflict. The excellent art by Andrea Mutti is ideally fit for science fiction comics and has a graphic style that captures this story’s grittiness. I don’t know about the game, but the comic book is certainly good.

A-

http://www.rage.com/


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