BOOK of DEATH #2 (of 4)
“Fractured” (34 pages)
Story: Robert Venditti
Art: Robert Gill w/ Doug Braithwaite
Colors: David Baron & Allen Passalaqua w/ Brian Reber
Letters: Dave Lanphear
Covers by: Cary Nord; Clayton Crain; Kano; Pere Perez; Paolo Rivera;
Stephen Segovia w/ Ulisses Arreola; Meghan Hetrick; CAFU w/ Ulisses Arreola
Publisher: Valiant Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Face-off: Eternal Warrior vs. Unity! GO!! To be fair, they have a civil discussion regarding Tama’s safety lasting a couple of minutes before Ninjak gives into his impulses and strikes. Gilad outsmarts Ninjak with a tech-laid trap. Pretty sly for a primitive guy! He flings his former pupil Aric as if he were a nuisance. Gilad respectfully talks to Livewire. He sees the value in her leadership. She doesn’t buy it. She possesses GIN-GR and attacks through the benevolent robot. That backfires big time! Payback is given to X-O Manowar. Eternal Warrior impales his right arm with a vibrational sword.
David, the other Geomancer, is cowering in a dark cellar. All he wants is to see his mother. His captor is holding off. David must overcome Tama. He is given an extra push by his tormentor.
Neville Alcott, the team’s liaison, is given a sit-rep by Livewire. The team lost large. He orders them to pursue. She refuses since evacuation is the wiser step especially with a desert storm approaching. Col. Jamie Capshaw is the bigwig. She wants to obliterate Gilad and Tama with a missile. Neville begs her to listen to reason. His instincts do not see the Geomancer as a threat. Capshaw stands down and tells him he will regret the decision if he is mistaken.
Tama tapped into her powers to create the dust storm for their ensured escape. Gilad orders her to keep reading from The Book of Death. There must be clues to the whereabouts of the Corrupted One. An oral history of the Eternal Warrior is on tap. His eons-long existence has been marred by fear and failure. There is also the origin of the Corrupted One – a Geomancer who gave into his abilities and let them overcome him. EW’s resolve is what has kept Gilad alive for millennia. Tama has just finished when a murder of crows swarm the pick-up truck. Gilad is frustrated. How does the unseen enemy keep finding Tama? She remains crouched down as the birds fly by. He glances at the book on the passenger seat. It’s a tracking device!!
David is not up to snuff. His abductor stands revealed: Master Darque!! He puts his hands around the boy’s head and channels his evil energy to give him a power boost.
Robert Venditti scripts a captivating story! The dialogue is simple but cutting. The bulk of the issue is the losing battle between Gilad and his former teammates. This is my very first Valiant read. Thus, I’m extremely appreciative of the recap page as well as the relationships laid out between the cast. I was fearful that I’d have to pore over enormous amounts of research just to keep my head above water. I did read number one after this second serving. The backwards approach 😉
I get warm fuzzies witnessing Gilad and Tama’s relationship. His protector duties aside, he is a caring father figure. He is really concerned for her safety. She is a child who has been sadly exposed to the harsh realities of the world she is linked to and obligated to protect. David is a true victim. He barely got to explore his powers when he was snatched by the Immortal Enemy.
I dislike critiquing art. I have no skills in that field. I find it difficult at times to discern who drew what when there is a collaboration. The open ground left the Unity members open targets, easily thwarted. [PAUSE] Alright, I’m back. I dug deep. Robert Gill illustrated the bulk of the book (pp. 1-22, 31-34). http://www.robertgillartstore.bigcartel.com/ The vibrations are an artist coup! Continuing my digression: David’s exploitation by Master Darque is quite disturbing. I equate this to an unspeakable crime. His distress is contrasted by the overtaking of the lecherous lout.
Doug Braithwaite brought us a synopsis in the on-going saga of the Eternal Warrior (pp. 23-30). Gilad is battle-born and bred. There is an inherent nobility in his savage dedication. His immortality makes more painfully human.
I do not wish to be ignorant. As such, don’t kill me! I’m going to ‘assume’ that Brian Reber touched up Mr. Braitwaithe’s pencils. EW’s life is one of blood and sand, do or die, stand or fall. David Baron and Allen Passalaqua provide lots of lustre for Mr. Gill’s depictions. I’m a huge fan of clean, concise art. Gilad’s face is literally scarred and hardened by untold centuries of battle but the others are fresh-faced given their hectic super-heroic lives.
Dave Lanphear is a master calligrapher and major entrepreneur. He is a whiz at fonts. http://www.myfonts.com/person/Dave_Lanphear/ The dark speech balloons stand out, are more appealing, and not as frequent. I will surmise that he stylised the title of the story.
All in all, an easy and enjoyable read. I pat myself on the back for finally worming my way into the Valiant Universe >_< I’m a newfound fan and anticipate the eventual conclusion to this tale. Not much death, yet ;-P I’m fascinated by the simple yet brilliant three inverted pyramids that symbolize this event. I give this book 7.5 triangles out of 9 [83.3%]
Extra content:
BOOK of DEATH: FALL of NINJAK preview (4 pages)
Writer: Matt Kindt Artist: Trevor Hairsine
BOOK of DEATH: HARBINGER preview – “Endings” (4 pages)
Writer: Joshua Dysart Artist: Kano Letterer: Dave Lanphear
