Publisher: Titan Comics
Writer: Alex Irvine
Artist: John Aggs
Release Date: 10th February, 2016

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I am always apprehensive when I pick up a story adapted from something else. Especially when that something else is held in such high regard. Movies from favoured books are a great example, and so is a comic based on a much loved gaming franchise. So, yes, I was curious how a Deus Ex comic would work.

Titan has chosen the creators of the comic well after securing the deal with Square Enix. Alex Irvine (Daredevil Noir) has an impressive pedigree in fiction (including licensed work), and comics, so this would be a comfortable assignment for him. Backing up his words is the art of John Aggs (The Liquid City), who (for those familiar with him) is Mr Cyberpunk and tailor made for illustrating this world.

The Advent Children story is set before the new game, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Thankfully – because so many licensed works in comics don’t do this – there is a short summary before it begins that covers the relevant points of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the reader to launch into the story. Well done, Titan. Thank you.

Adam Jensen now works for Interpol, specifically for Task Force 29, a team set up to combat terrorist activity from both the augmented and non-augmented factions of humanity. Our tale is set in Prague as TF29 prepare to attack a terrorist cell that has been kidnapping children. It’s Adam’s first field operation in this new unit, and as an augmented human he’s the odd man out.

It’s quite a busy comic; there is a lot of narrative, and a lot happening in the first issue. That’s not bad thing when it’s executed well, and for the most part it is. Yet with main dialogue, internal monologues and radio chatter it can get a little misdirected. I think that is more because you (as the reader) are unfamiliar with the characters talking, rather than bad narrative. I was quite impressed with the high volume of story elements that Alex has introduced in this issue without making it feel overcrowded or forced. It does feel like a Deus Ex story.

As I mentioned, John Aggs previous Cyberpunk art places drawing Deus Ex right in his wheelhouse. The pallet is suitable dark and there is a lot of nice and chunky shadow work in the story. For the main elements Aggs has chosen to go with finer line artwork. Details are intricate, yet almost imperceptible at times which give the comic its identity and style. We get to see the hacking game (kudos to that), and some interesting panel and art work when Jensen uses some of his augmented abilities. Panel layouts are varied in size and constantly overlapping helping the reader navigate through the comic. It also gives the illusion that the comic is actually a lot bigger than it is.

I was pleasantly surprised with Children’s Crusade; Alex Irvine has introduced us to a new story while staying true to the elements of the game. He’s even managed to touch on the moral question of the augmented/non-augmented argument, something I personally appreciated. The art is distinct, yet managed to fit with the style of the game. Overall, it’s a solid start, and promises an interesting story.

Rating: 3.5/5.

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ARTWORK PREVIEW
[Click to Enlarge]

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The writer of this piece was: Andrew McGlinn
Andrew Tweets from @Jockdoom.

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