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A review by crookedtreehouse
Archangel 8 by Michael Moreci
3.0
The write and publisher of this book go out of their way to let you know that the author Really, Really, Really enjoys [a:Garth Ennis|14965|Garth Ennis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242438038p2/14965.jpg]. Particularly, his run on [b:The Punisher by Garth Ennis Omnibus|3429131|The Punisher by Garth Ennis Omnibus|Garth Ennis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523406614l/3429131._SY75_.jpg|3470025].
I think Ennis's run on Punisher is some of his best work. I think setting out to tell a story with a similar feel or thematic resonance as Ennis's. This comes close. I think.
I was initially drawn in by Moreci's dialogue and use of narration. A first person tale of someone struggling with the morality of their violent job, when told well, is fascinating. And Moreci's sense of character is excellent in this book. Unfortunately, the plotting and the smoke and mirrors aspect of the book seem to get away from him at times. And by the end, I don't really care about anyone in the book. The swerve between the penultimate and final issue is too much. The small story being told telescopes too quickly into The Larger Picture, and I don't have the time to care about it. It loses enough focus that the final page, which is trying really very hard to be a Cool Ending, feels like the end of a particularly cheesy CSI Miami episode.
I'm not sure how to talk about the visual art in this book. The pencils, the inks, and the coloring all make me want to love it, but the shading on the faces and some of the clothes makes me feel like I'm watching the action through a screen door that has seen some shit. Like a hurricane passed through ten years ago, and it's been peeling away ever since. At times, it took me right out of the story, as someone had a weird scrap of triangle dots on their face. The crosshatching looked excellent on the backgrounds, but it just didn't work for me when it was applied to the characters in the foreground.
If you like violent stories with religious overtones, this should be on your To Read List. It's violent, but it's not Superviolent. It never feels gorey or excessive. It's a story involving assassins (?) who might also be angels (?) involved in drug trafficking, so you have to expect Some Violence.
I think Ennis's run on Punisher is some of his best work. I think setting out to tell a story with a similar feel or thematic resonance as Ennis's. This comes close. I think.
I was initially drawn in by Moreci's dialogue and use of narration. A first person tale of someone struggling with the morality of their violent job, when told well, is fascinating. And Moreci's sense of character is excellent in this book. Unfortunately, the plotting and the smoke and mirrors aspect of the book seem to get away from him at times. And by the end, I don't really care about anyone in the book. The swerve between the penultimate and final issue is too much. The small story being told telescopes too quickly into The Larger Picture, and I don't have the time to care about it. It loses enough focus that the final page, which is trying really very hard to be a Cool Ending, feels like the end of a particularly cheesy CSI Miami episode.
I'm not sure how to talk about the visual art in this book. The pencils, the inks, and the coloring all make me want to love it, but the shading on the faces and some of the clothes makes me feel like I'm watching the action through a screen door that has seen some shit. Like a hurricane passed through ten years ago, and it's been peeling away ever since. At times, it took me right out of the story, as someone had a weird scrap of triangle dots on their face. The crosshatching looked excellent on the backgrounds, but it just didn't work for me when it was applied to the characters in the foreground.
If you like violent stories with religious overtones, this should be on your To Read List. It's violent, but it's not Superviolent. It never feels gorey or excessive. It's a story involving assassins (?) who might also be angels (?) involved in drug trafficking, so you have to expect Some Violence.