Written by Tze Chun
Art by Artyom Trakhanov
Published by TKO Studios
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked up this book. The premise sounded pretty wacky and I figured I had nothing to lose. When I read it up, I had an initial hard time trying to figure out who was who and what was actually going on. Once I got through that, the book actually turned out to be pretty enjoyable.
Basically the book follows the lives of seven people who become outlaws: a runaway slave, a Chinese surgeon, a slave turned Union soldier, a cannibal, and a white man living as a Comanche.
These seven people as written by writer Tze Chun aren’t instantly likable.
And some of them? Well, some of them you never like! And that was okay by me, though I suspect some readers may have a problem with it.
These seven characters are recruited by a priest to help him on a suicide mission.
But what the hell, it’s better than being imprisoned, right? We learn about the characters on their way to possibly make a difference in the world.
One of the central figures of the book is Jericho Marsh. His story is the best conceived. He’s doing this task to give his daughters a better life. You know, a better life than he gave them and left them with. Tze makes his storyline the most compelling of the bunch and he shines the brightest here.
Things don’t go so well on the path to their goal. Some of the outlaws die. And it’s not the ones you expect.
The whole thing gets more exciting. It also gets more action packed.
The ending of the book is a little weak and convoluted. It really makes you suspend your disbelief. And even then, it felt out of place. And while I liked the art, it does throw you off a lot and makes you lose your grounding as a reader. It almost is too hard hitting.
Still, the book is a good time overall. TKO really does have the best packaging around and the quality is hard to argue. I enjoyed this comic for what it was and am glad that I got the opportunity to sit down and read it.
RATING: B
