We start with the resurrected X from Dark Horse and move toward the expanded Invincible Universe and finally ending with Volume 4 of Mike Costa’s spyfi G.I.Joe: Cobra Series from IDW.
WRITER: Duane Swierczynski
ART: Eric Nguyen
Publication Date: April 10, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
UPC: 76156822568600011
Buy it HERE
Duane Swierczynski can write us a violent comic book with dark dark and violent leading men. His work on both the Punisher and Valiant Comic’s reboot of Bloodshot are proof of this recently. We begin to wonder if he reflects on the real life corruption and violence of his hometown of Philadelphia.
X #0 from Dark Horse Comics debuts this week, originally printed in the popular anthology comic Dark Horse Presents, this one-shot introduces the city of Arcadia and the upper echelon of the criminal underworld running the city.
Missing an eye, and with a cool costume with a red ‘X’ on his hood (look out, new Cyclops, X was here first!) the character is foreboding and intimidating. Our boy is similar to Frank Castle in this way, with one exception. If you are a bad buy, and you receive a picture of yourself in the mail with a red-Sharpied ‘X’ across your face, get out of town. This is X’s warning....he’s coming for you.
X uses a variety of weapons from swords to fists, car bombs, machine guns, serrated knives and crowbars to get various jobs done and wipe out the major players in Arcadia in this issue.
X is as cunning as Batman and Punisher, and seems to have the upper hand on the criminals in the book from unseen detective work. Swierczynski even works in the obvious parallels as boss Pietrain is taunting him from his panic room.
This book reminds me of ‘90s Punisher War Journal and War Zone, in the best way possible. Lone vigilante, spilling guts and getting the bad guys. The X reboot is off to a great start, with an ongoing promised on the last page. Be careful, though, you may be off of spaghetti and sausage for a few days after reading this book. The Arcadia Meatpacking District sausage ingredients are very ‘fresh’.
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