Review – Rasputin #2 (Image Comics)

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Alex Grecian
Artist: Riley Rossmo
Release Date: 26th November 2014

For my random review this week – handpicked by our fearless leader Ceej – I was given this gem of a comic. Taking out the fact that this is based around the legend of a real-life character, I choose to review it solely on the medium it’s presented in. This is my first introduction to writer Alex Grecian, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Riley Rossmo I am definitely more than familiar with, already being a fan of his wonderful series Drumhellar.

This is a story that seems like it will develop nicely as the series progresses. In each issue we are given brief glimpses of both the past and the present, and really get a chance to learn who the title character truly is. We see in the first issue how his beast of a father abused him and how he witnessed his father murder his mother in a drunken rage, only to discover that Rasputin is a mystic healer who then brings her back to life. We then get to see – when faced with leaving his father to die or bringing him back – the choice he decides to make. In this issue we get to see how he came to meet some of the people in the present who are trying to kill him, although the reason why still remains a mystery.

Grecian is developing a very strong character with many layers, and it remains something of a mystery about just who he is and why his friends are turning on him. I sometimes find the flashback story telling to be a chore to read as you can get lost in the transitions between the past and the present, but Grecian is doing a fine job keeping both relevant and important. All the character development is being done through flashbacks and the present being used to establish the main storyline. An interesting choice for a storytelling approach, but one which is being pulled off near flawlessly in my opinion.

Throw in the typically beautiful artwork from Rossmo and, well, if you’re not reading this book already then I strongly suggest you start. There are panels that have no words but with Rossmo’s knack for visual story telling there is no lack of story being told. In reality, the picture truly is worth a thousand words, or at least a few word a bubbles to keep the story rolling. I’m definitely on board after the first two issues to see how this story progresses, and most importantly, I need to know just why Rasputin is being murdered by his closest friends.

Rating: 5/5.

The writer of this piece was: Shane Hoffman (aka “Hoff”)
You can also find Hoff on Twitter.