Review by Booklist Review
The ancient Chinese treatise on warfare is the springboard for this graphic novel set in a near-future in which the American economy has collapsed, and Wall Street exists only to invest the Chinese government's wealth. Released from prison after a friendly fire incident, Special Forces soldier Kelly is out to avenge his brother, who was savagely murdered while working as an analyst for the despotic financial firm, Trench. Kelly infiltrates the company, earning the trust of its head, the imperious Sun Tzu (a nod to the author of the original Art of War). When Trench's rivalry with a competitor moves from the boardroom to the battlefield, Kelly commands the troops as biotechnology, black holes, and other scientifically fantastical elements heighten the increasingly violent horror. Roman and illustrator DeWeese are newcomers to comics, and their enthusiasm sometimes gets in the way of clarity, especially in the often-messy artwork. Like many graphic novels that seem like dry runs for Hollywood adaptation, this screenplay-ready effort is likely to be eagerly received by fans of over-the-top, in-your-face, vengeance-driven action.--Flagg, Gordon Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A dark and disturbing debut by Roman and DeWeese uses the words of strategy from Sun Tzu's classic text to set the stage for a revenge story set 20 years in the future, with a world economy even more muddied than today's reality. Ex-con and ex-soldier Kelly Roman and his father travel to New York to covertly uncover the person responsible for his brother's death. Kelly joins Trench, the financial company where his brother worked, which controls the future-and thus governments-of China and the United States. There, he finds that his enemy is the Prince, head of a rival company, who has modified himself to communicate with and control insects in order to uncover the algorithms that dictate the market. Nearly every page is swathed in grotesque violence, horror, and suffering (both emotional and physical), depicted in painstaking detail. Knowledge of the Sun Tzu principles scattered throughout will definitely help. The dystopian story is not for the faint of heart, but those looking for a gory thriller will find plenty to keep them busy. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
What's black and white and red all over? This harrowing revenge piece that blends globalization anxiety and the Sino-American struggle for global dominance with acute violence and technology run amuck. Debut creators Roman and DeWeese use the teachings of the ancient Chinese general, Sun Tzu, as the foundation for an epic dystopian story of brotherly love and corporate greed set in a nightmarish American wasteland circa 2032. Our nominal hero, Kelly Roman, has come home from the military prison where he served time for a friendly-fire incident that has scarred him body and soul. Worse, Kelly discovers that his brother, Shane, has died in the service of a resurrected Sun Tzu, whose mastery of warfare now extends into a heavily armed global financial market controlled by his company, Trench. To get things started, Trench's human resources manager neatly snips off Kelly's hands just to prove that he won't succumb in battle. (Lots of things get sewn back on in the future, apparently.) In Manhattan, Kelly mentors under Sun Tzu and clashes with the general's daughter, Qing, all while maneuvering against a mysterious competitor, Vespoid, whose leader, The Prince, competes fiercely against Trench. There are also enough sci-fi high-concept ideas to fill a kitchen sink, from genetically-engineered soldiers to militarized black holes to the integration of insect biotech to produce more accurate algorithms. Much like James O'Barr's bestselling graphic novel The Crow, the art here is purposefully rough, incendiary and ugly at times, with a provocative style that dares readers to keep flipping to the end. It would fit in well with the likes of Vertigo's Army @ Love or even the black-and-white visions of Brian Michael Bendis' Torso or Goldfish graphic novels, but there's something about the immediacy and volume of the single narrative that lends this martial nightmare a little something extra. A bold, messy conflagration that revels in all of the trespasses and heroism of which only human beings are truly capable.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
