Rapture #5

by Taki Soma and Michael Avon Oeming

Okay, I think I'm ready for this comic to be over. I usually enjoy Oeming's work (except for Mice Templar), but this title has dragged on a little too long. The art in this is wonderful (especially the water-colour pages), but I've had enough of the characters, and their inconsistent behaviour.

This issue finally shows the reunion between Gil and Evelyn, but Gil gets all moralistic (because Evelyn attacks the psycho kid that ate his fingers last issue), storms off, and then becomes a cold-blooded killer himself. I find it hard to believe in these characters now, and am more than a little sick of them.

I do like the Klimtian cover though....

Rapture #4

by Taki Soma and Michael Avon Oeming

This is a much better issue of 'Emo Future Bratty Spectre', as Soma and Oeming finally let some of the main characters meet up.

I've liked this title, but I'm not always sure why. None of the characters are likable, and it is moving pretty slowly. At the same time, I usually like Oeming's artwork, and he and Soma keep tossing in these beautiful watercolour pages that are worth the cost of admission.

This issue did feel like a penultimate one, so I'm surprised to see that there are two more issues of this series to go. A long epilogue perhaps?

Rapture #3

by Michael Avon Oeming and Taki Soma

I'm increasingly finding myself on the fence with this title, and I'm not sure what's not working. The art is great - I've always enjoyed Oeming's work. The concept is very strong - a post-Apocalyptic world where people are used to having heroes do everything for them, but there are no heroes left. I like the separated lovers hook, and the Spectre character looks very cool. Oh, and there's cannibals (the new zombies?).

So I'm not sure why this book is impressing me more. Partly, I think it's because Evelyn is not a likable character, but then, that doesn't usually stop me from enjoying a comic.

It could be that this is just an 'off' issue. I'll see what next month brings.

Rapture #2

by Taki Soma and Michael Avon Oeming

I'm enjoying this new title, but I do find it to be kind of strange. Ostensibly, it's a love story about two people trying to find each other after a not-so natural disaster. Thing is, there are cannibals around, and Evelyn has just been given some powerful spear from some Spectre analogue. Her newfound powers are creating some fame for her, as people are happy to see a 'champion' has returned.

Meanwhile, Gil has run afoul of some bratty kid who also has a powerful spear. And there's some military guy making deals with the cannibals.

In other words, the second issue is still setting up a lot of the premise of the series, and it does have me intrigued. I usually find Oeming's art to be enjoyable, and this series is no different in that.

Oeming and Soma are able to hold a story that could easily spin off the rails together very nicely.

Rapture #1

by Taki Soma and Michael Avon Oeming

In this new title, all people with super powers on the Earth have been fighting one another for some time, leaving great amounts of destruction in their wake. Miami has been destroyed, and things continue to get worse, until the conflict goes 'cosmic', and all of the powered people leave, allowing humanity to try to pick up the pieces.

More devastating than all of this though is the fact that Evelyn has left Gil. Their splitting up takes place in the first couple of pages of the comic, as Evelyn jokes her way onto an airplane to leave him behind, only to come to the realization later that this was a mistake, made permanent by the destruction mentioned above. There is also the intrusion of a Spectre-like character as well.

The two protagonists in this book are fleshed out quite well, and the story grabbed me pretty quickly. I'm curious to see what is going to happen in this title as the story develops, and I enjoyed the set-up by Soma and Oeming a great deal.

Their collaboration is an interesting one. Soma is providing the layouts for Oeming's pencils, giving him a slightly tighter look than I'm used to, while still maintaining his recognizable style. The pages at the end which feature panels that alternate between the usual pencil art and watercolours look fantastic and pop off the page.