Review: Roku #1 (of 4)
If there weren’t enough red haired assassins throughout the myriad of comic book universes, Valiant gets in on the act. Over the next few months, along with Web of the Black Widow from Marvel, we can also enjoy Roku, the killer / mercenary introduced as a foil to fan favourite Ninjak. Now with her own mini series, we get the chance to learn more about the her past.
This issue serves as bit of a snapshot of the character to be honest. From the get go there is plenty of action to sink your teeth into, which showcases Roku’s abilities. I am not saying that Roku is an amalgamation of characters, but she is a red head assassin who also has psychic powers. Can you say Natasha Jean Romanov Grey, perhaps? Anyways,with the completion of the first job, its off the next and a mission where she meets not just the ultimate weapon, but someone from her past who knows more about Roku than Roku herself!
The book is written by one of the most hard working people in comics, Cullen Bunn. Now, I like Bunn’s creator owned stuff a lot. Take Dark Ark for example; a great premise filled with culture and a genuine sense of horror to some extent. But on the flip, sometimes when working with established characters; think X-Men Blue; there can be a sense of apathy to proceedings. This feeling is not all on Bunn; the setup of the Roku character is clearly meant to attract fans of very specific characters and stories, from which there is not really a lot of new places to go. Therefore the book feels somewhat like a checklist piece, a tick box exercise in character creation. The dialogue works well enough, keeping up with the action throughout. One aspect that is slightly odd is the internal monologue at the start of the book which shows Roku waxing lyrical. Who would have thought a trained killer could be so poetic?
The art is supplied by Ramón F. Bachs whose strength may be panel design and camera angles. With this being an action book over anything else, the art has to be pacy and succinct. For large parts Bachs successfully manages this. However, the fly in the ointment is perspective and anatomy. Take a look at her legs while she is jumping through the air. Knees don’t bend like that, ankles do not move like that, especially where the top line is so rigid. Todd MacFarlane or Erik Larson may get away with it on their respective Spider-Man art, but their art is more fluid. Here, Bachs tries hard to be fluid to add dynamism of movement to proceedings but manages to distract the eye rather than engage it. With that said, the fight scene at the beginning of the final act is fun with some strong facial elements. Colors are provided by Stepháne Paitreau who gives the book a standard sort of scheme. Letterer David Sharpe continues to impress with a wholly professional font. There may be slight hiccup though; the opening monologue feels like it’s Roku’s; there is then a box advising her name and then the monologue continues. With the boxes being the same color and font the same, it makes it unclear to whom that opening belongs to.
I remember Valiant from way back when. Now, a after pretty decent re-start a few years back, the company seems to have fallen into the habit of rehashing Divinity series, or Bloodshot or Rai in an effort to maintain it’s position, This sort of focus on a few characters may work for DC with it’s continued number of Batman books. Recognising that a change is may be required, I feel that Roku could be a missed opportunity to develop something new, for a book that somehow stands on the shoulders of successful characters from other publishers.
Writing – 3 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3 Stars
Overall – 3 Stars
Written by; Cullen Bunn
Art by; Rámon F. Bachs
Colors by; Stepháne Paitreau
Letters by; David Sharpe
Published by;Â Valiant Entertainment
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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