Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Michael Broussard
Publisher: Top Cow/Image
The first chapter of this incredible event comes to a close in this issue. After the cyborg assassin known as Aphrodite IV kills detective Sara Pezzini’s sister and kidnaps her daughter in the first issue, things have started to align themselves in what is shaping up to be a battle for the universe. As stated in the recap, “Separately, thirteen powerful artifacts guide the fate of the universe. Gathered, those thirteen artifacts will bring about the end of the universe.” There is a mystery villain who has been using Aphrodite IV to gather some of the more evil artifact bearers, and he is finally revealed in this issue.
This issue is by no means a stand alone issue. It doesn’t jump up and “wow” you like the previous issues, but it is a great bridge to the rest of the story. Slowly, this shows the line being drawn and the sides being chosen. Five bearers have joined Aphrodite IV and her boss, while seven stand at the other end of the spectrum. What is missing is the bearer of the thirteenth artifact. Who and what it is has yet to be determined. What is known is that the balance of power lies on whoever’s side this person chooses.
Life throws up options daily. We have to constantly choose what to do. We may not have the fate of the whole universe to worry about, but we do have the fate of our lives to worry about. The choices we make ultimately determine our fate. Not just in a sense of Heaven or Hell, but right here on earth. Who we are tomorrow depends on the choices we make today. One thing is for certain, we can’t walk two paths. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Ron Marz has done a tremendous job in laying out the foundation of this event in this first chapter. It has great story telling and is accessible to new readers, without being dull to old readers. Michael Broussard’s art is top notch. He fits in different characters and makes them all unique and distinct from each other. And if you don’t want to go back and look for the previous issues, good news; they will be collected into a trade before the end of the year. So you can pick up all 4 issues in a trade that will be surely loaded with some extras. In a year filled with comic events, this, to me, is the best and most accessible event of 2010 that any comic publisher has put out.
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