My favorite star on the rise author is currently Ales Kot.
Zero has been my favorite current Image series (save Saga) and has been a joy to review. Let’s see what it’s all been building up to, Zero #6, is it good?
Zero #6 (Image Comics)
Zero #6 tries it’s darndest to be poetic, and on some levels, it’s a success. The recurring metaphor about the horses is quite interesting and makes sense to the story, yet the violence sort of clouds it all up. I loved Kot’s choice to keep repeating the same story over and over again and found it made a really exciting core to the story, but all the slashing and murdering could have been avoided to let the message really speak. The ending was great, and although I didn’t 100% understand what that character reveal meant, I found it a very fitting conclusion to the story that’s been progressing since the beginning. Through all the shock twists, character reveals and strong character moments, Kot has created an atmospheric and powerful comic. The story is, if nothing else, gripping, and doesn’t let up ’til the very end.
While Zero is confronting Ginsberg Nova, forces are in motion on the homefront as Zizek and Cooke start to fall back into their lovers pattern. This is a powerful and meaningful shift in the Zero universe; Zero is now officially out of the Agency and the powerhouse duo of Zizek and Cooke will be on Edward’s tail for issues to come. It’s all culminating, but yet still leaving room for future story lines, making for a really nice issue.
Ales Kot sees things in characters that no other author in the industry could possibly see. He understands Ginsberg and his shred of morality even when the character is clearly psychopathic. He can perfectly show us what it’s like to be Zero without using spy-story cliches to gunk the narration up. He hits on the right notes and formats the issue nicely. Might I add that putting that text-only interview recording in the back was just brilliant. I know he’s been doing one of those every issue, but this issue’s was by far the best. It showed that Zero is not just a robot and is now working on his own agenda. It was a really subtle and intelligent touch that, I think, made the entire story.
Is It Good?
Ales Kot does it again! Another stellar issue with the help of Vanesa Del Rey whose charcoal lines and dark shading made this issue come to life. The motion and paneling make the action so real and the storytelling surreal. This team knows when to have a page with more negative space than panels, when to use diagonally aligned panels and when to have epic two page-spreads. Everything is beautiful both in words and pictures, I thoroughly recommend this comic.
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