ARTEMIS AND THE ASSASSIN #1 (Aftershock Comics, March 18 release date) Writer: Stephanie Phillips. Artist: Meghan Hetrick & Francesca Fantini Colors: Lauren Affe. Letters: Troy Peteri. Covers: Phil Hester, Mark Englert & Dave Johnson.
Historical fiction meets classic pulp action/adventure with a futuristic twist in this new title debuting in March.
For an introductory issue that needs to cover a lot of ground in order to acquaint readers with the story, ARTEMIS AND THE ASSASSIN sure packs a solid punch. At it’s core, it compares and contrasts two determined women with superior fighting skills. One is a decorated figure right out of World War Two history books, and a person with an honorable purpose. The other is a purely fictional creation, a time-traveling assassin with money as the main motivation.
The book opens as assassin Maya goes back to 1916 Russia to intercept the Tsar’s royal carriage and take out her target with brutal efficiency. Despite being the most respected and valued member of the time-jumping assassin organization, Maya is berated by her administrator and then given a challenging task: eliminate Virginia Hall, a highly skilled resistance fighter and spy during World War II.
Virginia Hall, code name Artemis, has been efficiently helping to destroy Nazi supply routes in 1944 France. She’s given a new assignment to convey some critical information to the front lines that could change the face of the conflict. She's not going to be an easy mark for Maya, and will most likely fight back.
World War II is just the starting point of Issue #1, as writer Stephanie Phillips has indicated in interviews that the story will traverse many different periods in history, including The Wild West. She was also inspired by her love of pulp fiction and early comics, especially Doc Savage and The Shadow.
RATING SYSTEM
STORY: Despite needing to introduce not just the settings and background but also two dynamic characters, Phillips does a great job of navigating those challenges. The story moves at a fluid, engaging pace. 3 POINTS.
ART: The fight scenes utilize various sized panels and focus on key elements, keeping the images uncluttered and more powerful because of it. 2.5 POINTS
COVER: Debut titles need covers that provide a hook and cause the browser to pick them off the busy comic shop shelves. This gets the job done. 1.5 POINTS
READ AGAIN? Yes. You’ll want to re-read in order to fully savor the battle scenes. 1 POINT.
RECOMMEND? Yes, an interesting premise and two characters deserving of further development to come. I look forward to future issues. 1 POINT
TOTAL RATING: 9 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 10 POINTS. WELL ABOVE THE PACK, AND RECOMMENDED.
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