Clone #3

Written by David Schulner
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

I've been enjoying this thriller series that deals with the aftermath of a human cloning program that resulted in there being a large number of clones, all of the same man, spread throughout the United States.  Our hero is Luke, one of the clones, whose wife is pregnant with his child, something that hasn't happened with any of the other clones.

Luke's wife has been abducted by a government agency, which Luke has infiltrated by pretending to kill another clone who had helped him escape.  While he's inside their facility, he is looking for his wife, with people outside waiting to help them escape.

While this is going on, a more interesting plot is developing involving the Republican Vice-President of the United States, who is expected to be the swing vote to pass a bill that will ban human stem cell experimentation.  That seems like a slam dunk for a Republican, doesn't it, but the VP's daughter is dying from Parkinson's, and killing stem cell research will pretty much also kill her.  The thing is, the VP knows about the clone program, and figures that the man who started it could fix his daughter as well.

I like how Schulner has added this element of political ethics into his story, which elevates it above being a standard adventure comic.

Ryp's art looks terrific in this issue, and he's toned down the strange kinetic energy effect he usually uses in his art, to the point where it didn't distract me like it has at other times I've seen his work.

Clone #1

Written by David Schulner
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

And the Image hits just keep coming.  Clone is a new series (a mini-series, I assume, but it's always hard to tell with Image) that touches on familiar story elements, but does it very effectively.

Luke Taylor's wife is about to have his baby.  He's still bitter about the fact that his own father abandoned him, which heightens the usual concerns new father's have about being ready for things.  One morning, as he is getting ready for work, he finds a man who looks just like him quietly bleeding out on his kitchen floor.  This guy warns him that someone is after his wife.

This someone, who looks just like Luke and the guy in the kitchen, shows up at the hospital where the wife is getting a check-up, and takes off with her.

We figure out a little while before Luke does that we are dealing with a cloning story (admittedly, the title kind of tipped that off), and that 'they' are after Luke for reasons we don't know.  There are some people ready to help him, and I'm sure we will get the back story in the next issue or so.

This is an effective opening, and the book falls into that 'movie good' category quite nicely.  Juan Jose Ryp's art is dynamic and detailed in equal measures (although I still hate the weird effect he draws around any spot where a character hits something), and it helps propel the story along.  The clone story has not reached the ubiquity of the zombie or vampire story yet, but with books like Garrison and Dancer touching on similar themes not that long ago, it does seem like there's something going on.

Still, newcomer David Schulner has crafted a nice introduction here, and I'm curious to see where he takes it.

No Hero #7

Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

I'm not sure what to say about this issue. No Hero started out to be an intelligent examination of heroics, and the effect that a small number of powered beings can have on the world. It had some interesting twists and turns to it, and some rather striking visuals.

This issue finishes the story, but it ends in a huge splatter-fest which, while providing a couple of surprises, feels a little hollow. I'm not sure exactly what might be missing, but I am coming away from this title a little unsatisfied.

Ryp's art maintains its detailed, Geoff Darrow-ish appeal, although some of the panels become lost in blood, spray, and gore.

I do like that Avatar gives Ellis such unlimited opportunities to play with superhero themes, but I feel like this particular series could have handled a little more editorial oversight.

No Hero #6

Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

This is the penultimate issue of Ellis's latest Avatar series, and a lot gets revealed. The central concept of No Hero has been that there are only a small number of super-humans in the world, and that they are all joined in a common purpose of bettering the world. They emerged in the sixties, and this issue, more than any other, discusses the impact they have had on geo-politics. There is mention of Nixon's single term, the post-bin Laden Taliban, oil fires in Iran, and the Black States. As it turns out, not everything we'd been told about the Front Line is entirely accurate.

It's become common for Ellis to just toss off casual references to things that could probably be the basis for long comic series, as he creates intricate settings for his stories, and then only inhabits small pieces of them. I find that to be a big part of the appeal of his independent work.

The art in this issue is as good as usual, and Ryp must be commended for pulling off the incredibly disturbing last page.

No Hero #5

Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

Warren Ellis's story of drug-induced super powers and the nature of heroics is chugging right along. Josh, having survived the horrifying effects of FX7, is not embracing his new role, and so, in the middle of a total crisis, Masterston sends him out to wander around San Francisco (without, apparently running into any X-Men), where he is mysteriously the only person able to stop an imprending disaster, save the city, and become a hero in the eyes of the public.

The big reveal at the end of the book doesn't really work for me - I don't understand how revealing the truth to Josh is anything but counter-productive. So while I don't really understand this, I do totally trust Ellis, and am looking forward to the last two issues of this series.

Ryp's artwork just keeps getting better and better. While I have a hard time understanding Josh's new physiology as Ryp draws it, his action scenes - especially those involving the airplane - are spectacular. I figure it's not too long before he gets snatched up by one of the big two to draw some kind of big crossover wide-screen action title.

No Hero #4

Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

The sub-title for this series has been "How much do you want to be a super-human?", and this issue goes as far as possible to make the choice seem completely insane. It's been a couple of issues since Josh took the FX7 drug, and it has completed its transformation of him - unfortunately, that transformation has involved his shedding most of his skin, and one external organ of which most men are quite fond. It has given him super-strength though, and he seems to think that the trade-off is a fair one.

He is 'debuted' to the general public as Revere - the newest member of the Front Line, who dresses a little like a Nascar driver with a porcelain doll's mask (it's not the greatest character design I've ever seen), and the debut doesn't go well - making it all the clearer that the Front Line is in trouble.

Really, not a whole lot else happened in this issue, but it is excellent none the less. Ellis introduces Redglare, another Front Liner, and he gives him some nice scenes with Masterson. Ryp continues to channel Geof Darrow with his fantastic, detailed artwork, and the series is just humming along.

No Hero #3

Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

This is a great series by Ellis. The book is all about the only super team on the planet - an independent group that has apparently been following its own foreign policy in addition to fighting crime.

In this issue, we see the new kid go through the effects of having taken FX7, the hallucinogen that gives you super powers, although in this case, it just seems to be nasty. We also get a sense of what is going on in the larger story, as the Front Line starts to figure out just who it is that is attacking them and why.

Ellis has given a lot of thought to backstory with this title, and is building suspense by filling the reader in as the story progresses. Ryp's art is fantastic. He has a style that reminds me of Geof Darrow, and does a great job of depicting the Lovecraftian hallucinations that FX7 apparently causes.

Like with his earlier series, Black Summer, Ellis generates enough material for a few years worth of comics, but is looking to tell his entire story in 7 or 8 issues (do we count #0's?).

That's it for Warren Ellis Week. It would have been nice if it had also included an appeance by 'newuniversal: shockfront #3' (anyone know what's going on with that title?).