Comic Vine Review

11 Comments

Men of Wrath #1 - Chapter One: Among the Sheep

5

Jason Aaron's newest book starts here! Check out this spoiler-free review!

MEN OF WRATH #1 is on sale Wednesday, October 1st.

The Good

Ira Rath is not a good man. He kills people for money and it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman or what age you are. However, his killer roots go back to his great-grandfather. His family name may be cursed.

MEN OF WRATH offers a lot to folks looking to take a break from all the super-hero reading they normally take part in. Writer Jason Aaron sets up a very interesting story that may or may not have some super-natural elements to it. However, the focus isn't on that idea. The focus of this issue is on Ira Rath. It's a first issue of a brand new series, so you can expect a lot of set-up, but Aaron makes it feel very natural. The entire story progresses organically.

The overall story is interesting and in the interest of keeping this spoiler-free, all we can really say is that is does set up the world extremely well and the final pages are a great hook to get readers on board with MEN OF WRATH as a whole.

The dialogue is really what moves this story along, since Aaron is setting up this world and its characters. It feels gritty and it suitable for the story. Narration is used sparingly, but when it is used, it's fantastic.

The real highlight of the issue was the artwork of Ron Garney with Matt Milla on colors. I love Garney's art style. At times, I feel like I'm reading an old EC book. Garney has a way at capturing the elements of old mystery and horror books with a much more contemporary feel to it. What puts the art over-the-edge for me is Milla's colors. They soften the book up a lot. Everything blends together, in a good way. A part of that has to do with the fact that there is little to no inking in this book. It's a great offset to the darker and more violent story.

The Bad

Ira is very unlikable. He's almost played off like a victim of circumstance because of his family's history but there's little to like about a ruthless killer. His opening scene will make you hate him and that feeling lingers throughout the issue. However, I'm still intrigued by him and where he's headed. There is also the fact the main character doesn't have to be likable to suit the story. Still, there's hope in seeing some redeeming qualities in Ira in upcoming issues.

The Verdict

MEN OF WRATH mixes murder and mystery without all that murder-mystery getting in the way. It's a gritty book that doesn't hold anything back but spends time developing the book's characters and the world, rather than just giving the reader shock after shock. Jason Aaron has another hit on his hands, and hopefully, more people pick up this book. Garney and Milla provide some amazing art, and while the final page isn't a giant shock, this book offers a lot to keep readers invested. I highly recommend checking this book out.