Script: Nico Lathouris & Mark Sexton
Art: Mark Sexton, Tristan Jones & Szymon Kudranski
Publisher:Vertigo
Release Date: 17th June 2015
I know what you’re asking yourself. Is this just another movie tie-in that’s a cash grabbing attempt by the studio to make a quick buck on the back of the success of the film? The answer to that is complicated. It quite possibly is just a cash grab, but it’s written by George Miller, it looks beautiful/horrible (depending what you want to call how damn good the art is) and it’s more Mad Max! What more could you possibly want?
More questions you might be asking are: Is it required reading to enjoy the film? No, it’s set before the events of Fury Road. Is it required reading if you already watched the film and enjoyed it? Yes. Yes it is.
It’s a rare thing that a move tie-in is any good, but then it’s also a rare thing that a new Mad Max came along so I think all prejudices can be put to one side for now. What George Miller has done here is give us a bit of backstory that we might not necessarily need, but we certainly do want. It follows what happens prior to the film leading up to the first scene with Furiosa. We see the handmaidens being treated horribly by Immortan Joe, being treated kindly by Miss Giddy (who it appears is a much more important character than her role in the film led me to believe) and treated with almost utter disinterest by Furiosa. We get to see the bond there women share, and how they are treated, giving more weight to the plot of the film, and a special kind of hatred for Joe that, if you didn’t have before,you sure will by the end of the issue.
The art team excel themselves this issue. Even if it can be jarring having the slightly different styles, the story flows all the same. There’s a certain brutality to the no holds barred approach to the book, and while I do appreciate it, I really didn’t need to see that much of Immortan Joe, and could happily never see it again. There’s a bleakness to it that makes the situation seem all the more dire and the need to escape all the more prevalent. Not a pretty book by anyone’s standards, it is instead a well put together slice of hell that is near perfect in it’s honest portrayal. I feel bad not being able to use positive re-enforcement though, because the art really is good and very well done. It’s just not a good subject to draw?
All in all, this is a must buy for anyone that enjoyed the film and wants another slice of the action. For those of you that didn’t enjoy the film, maybe this will help give you more insight as to why the rest of us liked it and you’re wrong? Also, anyone that watched the film and thought Immortan Joe was right, because they were his wives, maybe this will show you just how wrong you truly are.
Rating: 4/5.
The writer of this piece was: Chris Bennett
Article: And Now For Something Completely Different
You can also find Chris on Twitter.
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