The Killer Vol. 4: Unfair Competition

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

I remember being very impressed with the first Killer mini-series, when Archaia first started published translated versions of the French series.  It had a tight plot and I loved Jacamon's art.  I was also intrigued by the title character, who floated through the world as an expert assassin, and who doesn't think much of people, or connect to them.

I followed The Killer through his next two miniseries, but when Archaia was bought by Boom!, either they never published this fourth volume as a mini, or I somehow missed it.

It was good to return to these characters, but the storyline in this volume is pretty unfocused and a little unbelievable.  The Killer's drug connected friend decides to diversify, what with the drug cartels becoming too murderous, and decides to start an oil exploration company in Cuban territory that really irks the United States.

The business stuff, even when the wheels are greased with drug money, seems just too easy and quick in the context of the story, and there is a definite lack of suspense or danger to this story.  There are places where things wake up, but in the final analysis, this series became a case of diminishing returns.

Jacamon's art remains a real high point, but this volume incorporates a lot more photography than the previous one.  There is one more volume in this series, which was published last winter, but I'm not sure that I'm all that interested in reading it.

Cyclops #4

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

This series feels a little predictable, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.  Our man Pistoia, who has become the central star of an independent military reality show is becoming ever more suspicious of his corporate masters, but is at the same time becoming ever more complicit in their shady dealings.

He's beginning to question the purpose of the secret mission he was sent on a couple of issues back, especially in light of Multicorps' winning of another UN contract in Argentina (although his assertion that he speaks neither Turkish nor Spanish rings pretty false, as everyone knows a little Spanish).  While this is going on, he's being systematically seduced by a Multicorps press agent, and generally set up for blackmail.

Like I said, there's nothing particularly original or groundbreaking about this book, but the story is being told very well by Matz and Jacamon's work looks great.

Cyclops #3

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

As Cyclops continues, it is more or less following the plot that I expected it to follow.  Pistoia, the private military man we (and the world) have been following for the last two issues, now has his own reality TV show, and is responsible for a huge upsurge in people applying to work for his bosses at Multicorps.  He's got a nice new home that his company are financing, and things look great for him.

Except now, his wife is starting to question when he's being genuine and when he's playing for the cameras, and he's beginning to question if some of his historic acts, like risking staying in a bomb zone to rescue a woman and baby, are themselves genuine or staged without his knowledge.

To add to this suspicion, there is now a reporter for a Los Angeles Latino newspaper asking questions that are making Pistoia's superiors uncomfortable.  It seems that Matz is taking this story into familiar territory (pawn and outsider team up to take down evil corporation), but it's being handled so well that I am still very much interested in seeing where it all leads.  Jacamon's art is great, and the writing keeps the story moving.

I'm not sure that this is turning out to be as good as The Killer, but this is still a very good comic.

Cyclops #2

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

I find it hard to believe that this comic was originally published in 1998 in France.  With this story, Matz has really captured so much of the current zeitgeist, that I would assume this book is only a couple of years old if it's not brand new.  That he was anticipating the development of so many aspects of modern culture thirteen years ago is surprising.

Cyclops is about a man, Douglas Pistoia, who has begun to work for the UN-sanctioned military contractor organization Multicorps Security, Inc (the story is set in the future).  On his first mission, he performs a recklessly heroic act as he rushes through sniper fire to rescue his injured Captain.  Since all of the Multicorps missions are broadcast live on international television (the name of the book refers to the camera in each soldier's helmet), Pistoia quickly becomes a star.

To cement their control of him, his bosses quickly send him on a mission of dubious moral purpose, and then promote him and offer him his own television show.  This issue finishes setting up the series (remember, when originally published, issues one and two would have been a single volume), and I'm curious to see what Matz does with the military reality-tv angle.  As always, Jacamon's art is terrific, if a little murky in its over-use of the colour purple during night operations.

Cyclops #1

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

A new series by the writer and artist of The Killer is the type of thing I'd buy without questioning.  Cyclops is a different type of comic from the Killer, but it has the same high quality writing and art, and thoughtful, dense plotting.

This series is set in the year 2054.  The United Nations has just decided to subcontract peacekeeping missions to a private company, Multicorps Security, Inc.  They are beginning to deploy their troops to the Iran-Turkey border, in the hopes that they will be able to stop a war.  Each of these troops have microcameras attached to their visors, and they broadcast everything they see to their headquarters.  In turn, to help recoup costs, this footage is sold to different news outlets and broadcast in real time.

Our protagonist is Doug Pistoia, a bright former soccer star with few other prospects.  He's newly married, and doesn't really want to be working this job, but sees it as his best option.  He's been hand-picked by the management of the company to become their next star.

Most of this issue is used to set up the rest of the series (it's an 8-issue run), but it is clear that Matz has a few things to say about the way in which he saw warfare developing when this series was first published in France (apparently this stuff is from 1998, but still feels very fresh today).  I'm excited about seeing where this comic goes.

The Killer: Modus Vivendi #6

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

This has ended up being both my favourite issue of The Killer, and possibly the most frustrating.  When I started to read this, I thought that, in addition to being the last issue in this mini-series, it was the conclusion of the title in general.  As it turns out, there is a volume four (I suppose the first series encompassed volumes 1 and 2) still to be published in North America, and this issue leads directly into it.  In other words, nothing is resolved here at all.

But then, it's an amazing comic still.  The Killer is still trying to figure out what to do about the Venezuelan/Cuban/American triangle he's found himself in, and goes off to Montreal on a little working vacation with his friend and regular employer Marciano.  The Montreal pages are brilliant, as our Killer excoriates the city in one withering comment after another, and both he and Matz mock Quebecois speech patterns and the language in general.  As a proud Torontonian, it was a fun sequence.  I especially like the way that Jacamon portrayed the city - it's still lovely, but very gray, especially when compared to the usual settings for this comic.

I also found myself really enjoying the theological and political commentaries that are spread throughout this comic.  The Killer is not one for religion, and he explains this to us in a succinct and enjoyable way.  I really enjoy the political conversations that the Killer has with Marciano, who has now started speaking of Statesiders to refer to what the rest of the world calls Americans, simply because he is not happy that the rest of the Americas does not get to be called that.

The Killer has always been a very intelligent read, but I feel like it is becoming more refined and topical with each issue.  I hope there isn't too long a wait before Volume 4 begins, as there is a lot of momentum to this comic right now.

The Killer: Modus Vivendi #5

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

It's always nice to be sucked back into the world of The Killer, as dark and bleak as it is.  With this issue, our nameless protagonist starts taking out leaders of the Venezuelan military coup that has ousted Hugo Chavez.  He's doing this on behalf of the Cubans, and goes about the job in a variety of interesting ways.

As the story progresses though, it begins to become clear that he is, for the second time in this series, being manipulated by people who are more in the know than he is, namely his Cuban contact and (perhaps?) girlfriend.

This issue is less philosophical than previous ones, but that helps to support Mariano's assertion that the Killer is currently thinking with an organ other than his brain.  Like usual though, this issue is filled with beautiful artwork (I love the way that Jacamon layers shadows and has light penetrate through foliage).  The sniper sequences are perfectly laid out.  I look forward to the conclusion of this series.

The Killer: Modus Vivendi #4

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

This issue has come hot on the heels of the last, which is especially nice when you consider that the two books were originally published as one in France.

The Killer finishes off his business in Cuba, and returns home, where the Venezuelan army has taken over, due to the CIA's help, which came mostly in the form of the Killer's last few contracts.  He meets with his employers, while under the protection of Mariano's men, and learns that once again, things are even more complicated than he had originally realized.

This issue has a very cool action sequence, which Jacamon has altered digitally, moving slivers of the art around, to give the impression of speed and confusion.  It looked odd at first, but as the sequence continued, I realized how cool and effective it was.  This has been an interesting series, and I look forward to reading its conclusion.

The Killer: Modus Vivendi #3

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

If there's one thing that I feel is lacking in most of the comics that I read, it's a nice learned explanation of things like Western cultural hegemony, and the way in which such things are viewed from the smaller, forgotten corners of the world.

In this issue, our Killer is in Cuba, where his next assignment for his mysterious employers, who he now believes to be CIA, is to assassinate the special commissioner in charge of negotiating oil deals.  Having walked around Havana for a few days, and having reflected on the effects of a half-century of embargoes, and the nature of genocide and the types of excuses it engenders in partner nations, he decides that he doesn't want to kill this man, and turns to the Cuban government for assistance.

This is, as always, an interestingly paced book.  It is both languorous and terse, as the Killer has long periods of downtime before arranging his next hit, yet there is always a sense of urgency in his actions.  The lengthy essay (for want of a better term) doesn't slow down the book at all, but it does make it very dense with information, which is something I appreciate.

Jacamon's art is typically beautiful, and he makes interesting use of digital backgrounds, inserting his characters into the Havana skyline, or using other manipulated photos for establishing shots.

The Killer: Modus Vivendi #2

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

This second Killer series seems more meditative than the first, which is perhaps the product of the Killer's having taken a few years off, and having returned to his profession with a more philosophical mindset.  I don't know many jobs more given to introspection than that of the hired assassin, and there were elements of that in the first series, but I feel this time around that Matz has the Killer questioning his motivations a little more.

As this issue opens, the Killer is still hesitating to kill a famous Venezuelan nun for his mysterious employers.  He knows that his actions don't matter in the long run.  If he refuses to do the job, someone else will.  Death in this case becomes inevitable for this nun.  These scenes are later balanced by a long scene where the Killer takes his four-year-old son hunting in the jungle with his grandfather, a traditional Guayapaqui.  In this part, the Killer meditates on living in balance with nature, something he recognizes that he does not do.

The jungle scenes are incredibly lush, as Jacamon layers shadows on the character's faces.  His art always reminds me a little of Tim Sale anyway, but these pages evoked the recently reprinted Amazon series that Sale did back in the day with Steven T. Seagle.

Anyway, I find that I am enjoying this Killer mini-series even more than I did the first one; of course, the apparently reliable printing schedule is helping immensely in this.

The Killer: Modus Vivendi #1

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

I'm very happy to see this title return to the stands.  It was the original Killer series that first got me to buy any Archaia comics.  This was always my favourite of their titles, and to see it return just as the company returns to regular publication and increased visibility feels good.

The 'killer' of the title has grown bored after four years of retirement.  He has decided to return to his old assassin business, taking a three-part contract that has him working closer to home than he would normally like.  After two successful (and creative) hits, he finds that his next target is a nun.  This does not feel right to him, and so he returns to his old friend and partner Mariano for information.  As it turns out, these hits are all related to the Venezuelan oil industry, and our killer finds himself in trouble.

Most of this issue is concerned with setting up the story for the next five, yet there is plenty of space in the comic for some character development, and for Jacamon to give us some lovely establishing shots.  One of the things that has always drawn me to this character is his ability to rationalize the horrors of his job.  This time around, the moral issues of murdering a nun lead him to examine his thoughts on religion, which while very French, are also quite interesting.

This book is highly recommended.

The Killer #10

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

There was a good stretch of time where it looked like this series might never be completed. Archaia stopped publishing for a year or so, and their titles were more or less left in limbo. This is the first title I bought from that publishing house, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to buy this particular issue. I'm pleased that Archaia has worked out their issues, or so it seems. They are a quality house, with an interesting and unconventional catalogue.

The Killer has been a very interesting series. The main character is a hit man with no moral questions about his work. He is utterly detached while on the job, but is at other times a loyal and good man. Much of the plot has seemed familiar - he was betrayed, and in this issue, finally arrives at the people who have been pulling the strings. It's a predictable conclusion, yet Matz brings things to a close in an interesting way.

It has been a couple of years since this title began, and it would be interesting to go back and read it from the beginning again. I have enjoyed this book, and look forward to more work by these two creators, if I can find anything else in English.

The Killer #9

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

I'm really glad to see that Archaia is going to finish publishing this book. This issue is about a year behind schedule, and that made it a little difficult to slip back into the story, but eventually everything came back to me, and I was able to enjoy the penultimate issue of this fantastic French comic.

In this issue, the killer is finally able to piece together who has been making things difficult for him, and now he's only left with one task - to kill them of course.

This isn't exactly the strongest issue of this title, but it's still very good. Sometimes this book suffers, like I Am Legion does, from the translation process - in France, this is only the first half of the fifth book. It chops up the story somewhat arbitrarily, although it works fine in this case.

I hope it's not another year before I finally get to see the end of this title.