The Good
The Beta clone finds out where the clone camp is located and wages an all-out war. Luke must make the decision to go on and look for his wife or two save the clones at the camp.
This issue takes action to a whole new level. If ultra-violence is your thing, then you should get along well with CLONE #7's contents. While it's true that this isn't what the book is or should be about, this is what this issue boils down to as the Beta clone tries to complete his mission of killing off all of the clones. There are quite a few memorable kills within the issue, but one of my personal favorites happens right at the of the attack. It's probably the most memorable kill of the issue.
There's three writers on this issue, and so far, that's been a good thing. Issues #1-5 had just David Schulner as a writer, which was great because CLONE felt like this great, stand-alone mini-series. However, since adding co-writers Aaron Ginsberg and Wade Mcintyre, this book has really opened up and felt like it can really work as a great on-going series. I love the Beta clone character , and seeing how far Patrick is willing to go to rid the world of this secret project. On top of that, Amelia and her baby are still a major part of the overall story, and this writing team had a fantastic final page that will really rope you in. This book can only get better from here on out.
Jose Juan Ryp must have had a blast working on this issue. Aside from the fact there's a ton of great action sequences, there's so many great establishing shots which Ryp put together, with the same amount of ridiculous detail he puts into every panel. I love Ryp's style and I've come to associate everything about this book with Ryp's unique art. He's consistent and the level of work he puts into every page and every panel is unbelievable, especially since he always seems to be on time.
The Bad
My problem with the issue lies within Amelia's scene. We catch a few pages of her escaping and saving her baby. That's fine, but it's such a weird contrast and feels so disconnected from the brutality in the rest of the issue. If this was the opening or closing to the issue, I'd be fine with it, but having it right in the middle of the issue threw the pacing and tone of the issue off.
Ryp's art is amazing, don't get me wrong, but I disliked some of the shading techniques in the close ups. It's dot shading and it looks very weird when it's combine with the color shading as well. This is a situation where the shading needs to be in the colors, not the inks.
The Verdict
CLONE #7 delivers the most in-your-face issue yet, and by "in your face," I mean fist-pumping, hyper-violent, train of awesomeness going through your eye holes into your brain sphere where it punches you into submission with fun. Ryp's art is the highlight of the issue, and you can get lost in some of Ryp's detail within the pages. Month after month, this is one of my favorite series and has been on my top of the pile list numerous times.
Overall, this may not be the best jumping on point, but this is an issue you have to pick up.
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