COMING of RAGE #1 (of 5)
“” (26 pages)
Created by: Wes Craven
Written by: Wes Craven & Steve Niles
Artwork by: Francesco Biagini & Liquid Studios
Colors: Chris Blythe
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Liquid Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Teenage fangst!! No, that’s not a typo. All will become clearer as you read on.
Oscar, a Mexican hailing from San Salvador Atenco, finds himself kidnapped by insurgents. He is separated from his mother and thrown into a fortified transport. His wrath is enough to access his lycanthropic abilities and tear through sheer metal, freeing himself as well as the other captives.
Ritchie Westmord’s homecoming is less than ideal. His father is at death’s door. The situation would be more pleasant if the patriarch weren’t so cantankerous. Money can’t buy you love and cannot seal the wedge between them. Ritchie is to inherit and run the family business by providing the finest vintage wines to the crème de la crème. Ritchie flat out refuses but the old coot is insistent since his bum of a son is the only suitable candidate. The mother protests due to her consternation. Ritchie has reached the age of adulthood and must embrace his new responsibilities. Once alone, his father tells him that his position has another purpose: to reach out to his closest four associates and learn the ropes. Even when Victor issues an ultimatum and threatens that Ritchie’s life will be a living hell, the teen storms out. The old man croaks right then and there.
Like any other young adult, Ritchie releases his pent-up rage. One should never walk away angry during an argument. He never made peace with his father even on his last breath. The red energy emanating from his car isn’t imaginary. There is some wacky stuff happening here! The fire inside is so ardent that he warps the steering wheel.
Time for a drink. Trouble can always be found at a biker’s bar in the middle of nowhere. Ritchie flashes his fake ID in order to get served. When the bartender inquires about his identity and confirmation is made, he rushes off to make a phone call. Oscar, now a teen himself, is a busboy at the bar!!
A white chick walks in looking for a fight. She gets her wish when she insults one of the muscle-bound boozers. The misogynistic hick clocks her one. It’s on!! Oscar rushes to her defense. The three youths become fast friends as they unite against the entire clientèle!! Fists fly in whirlwind motion.
Ritchie morphs into a vampire. This is so much cooler and scarier than puberty!! He slashes away and emits a glass-shattering shriek. He hightails it in his car. An unknown pursuer tries to take him out. Oscar and the kick-ass girl look on. Ritchie slams the other car and tells them to join him. Ritchie thinks the occurrence was an alcohol-induced hallucination.
The fighting female tells him it was rage. Oscar goes into his lupine form. The roughed-up girl gives herself an extreme makeover: she removes her right eye :0 She is a zombie!!! Ritchie thinks it’s an elaborate practical joke. Oscar assures him that it’s real and that he’s just been initiated into the fraternity of freakdom. Ritchie will hone his ‘radar’ just like Oscar has. The lady’s name is Lilly. Here’s to the new Three Amigos!! Ritchie states his name and the fact that he’s a recent runaway.
This series was first announced in 2010. It was originally scheduled to be released in 2013 as a three-part mini and graphic novel. From there, it was slated for the silver screen. For reasons unknown, the project was postponed until now! It’s no coincidence that it was released three days prior to Halloween. Sadly, Mr. Craven passed away two months ago (August 30th) at age seventy-six. Recent developments have dismissed the idea of a movie. Instead, this book will be adapted as a TV series by producer Arnold Rifkin. When and where is TBD.
The afterword indicates Mr. Craven’s brainchild. He wanted to incorporate three disparate character types. The bar joke has become reality. He enlisted horror-meister Steve Niles as his collaborator.
The (mis)adventures this trio will have should be hair-raising and blood-curling to say the least. The metamorphosis into monsters is an obvious analogy to puberty. It also signals an end of innocence (in Oscar’s case he was a tween) or adolescence (Ritchie is most likely 18, almost an adult in American law). Lilly is already established and comfortable in her rotting flesh. We know nothing of her backstory but the reveal will be much sooner than later. The moral of the story is that the real monsters are not those who look hideous or grotesque but the ones that appear most human on the surface concealing the ugliest traits.
Francesco Biagini taps into his dark side!! The use of shadow is eerily effective when Oscar growls in anger and when Ritchie sheds crimson tears turning his back on his father. There are many small-size silhouettes. Keen observation is needed: the wolf roaming the streets on the first page is obviously Oscar, the insurgents standing atop the make-shift paddy wagons, Ritchie’s mom on the porch, Oscar pushing Lilly as he makes a mad dash. The flipside also applies – the all-too human faces get their freak-on especially the main protagonist as he releases the ferocity of his latent abilities. The gaping mouth alone is ghastly!!
I am unsure what contributions were made by Liquid Studios since this is a fairly recent player in the industry.
Chris Blythe has a wide range to work with but focuses mainly on browns, blacks, and greys. This is fitting given the supernatural elements. There are very few bright splashes within. Literally!! Ritchie’s skin tone remains the same after his emergence as a vicious vampire. Lilly is the opposite of ashen. It would be near impossible to determine her zombie status where it not for taking out her oculus dexter. The pale blue emanating from the moon provides a welcome calm among intense events and sinister goings-on.
Aditya Bidikar loosens the borders of the word bubbles. He excels at the onomatopœia. Each sound is cacophonic. My eardrums were ringing after Ritchie’s primal scream.
I am honestly intrigued enough to continue reading the exploits of this terrifying trio!! I am even more engaged due to the eventual adaptation on the small screen. The rage is in full gear!!
V, W, Z are the letters of the day. Between the three, there are twelve points. I give this book 10.25 out of 12 (85.4%).
This review was brought to you by my local comic shop:
