Zachary Palisoc
Jun 12, 2002, 06:50 pm
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/cod-bhood1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/cod-bhood1t.jpg" align=left alt="The Call Of Duty: The Brotherhood #1"></a>Reviewer: Zachary Palisoc, Zack1778@yahoo.com
Quick Rating Excellent!
Story Title: The Fireman's Prayer
It's time now for the true heroes of the Marvel Universe, beginning with New York's finest firefighters!
Written by: Chuck Austen
Pencilled by: David Finch
Inked by: Art Thibert
Colored by: Avalon Studios
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Assistant Editors: C.B. Cebulski & Brian Smith
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
First of all, let me say that ever since I was a little boy, I loved firefighters. It was a sort of hero worship since my next door neighbor was one, and I just thought the whole concept of it was so cool. Saving lives, putting out raging fires, and making a difference. It seemed like a cool job to have. The Call of Duty: The Brotherhood captures that childhood excitement, that awe-inspiring feeling. The opening scene is right out of an action movie. In fact, the story itself unfolds just like a movie, you can see the pictures-provided in perfect detail by artist David Finch-move with a pace so intense that it's hard to believe they don't actually move on the page.
The comic starts with, of course, a fire. The heroes of the story are busy fighting the fire when the main character, James, stumbles upon a girl standing in the kitchen, surrounded by flames everywhere. She tells him, in the middle of this madness, that "There's a war coming. Lots of people are going to die." He grabs the girl to rescue her and falls through the floor, thus losing her. Later on, getting patching up by a female paramedic, he knows that losing the girl will stay with him forever, just like another firefighter who stumbled on two kids who died from smoke inhalation. It stayed with that firefighter forever, and James knows that this incident will stay with him for the rest of his life as well. He's in for a surprise. This scene also introduces us to Jen, who will appear in the upcoming The Call of Duty: The Wagon. This sets off a sequence of events that eventually introduces us to the another major player in this series, a cop named Gunzer, whose name is revealed in the attached preview at the end of this issue, The Call of Duty: The Precinct.
But since this issue of The Brotherhood focuses on James, we'll stay with him. He's going through some personal problems, such as divorce, and there is the inevitable mention of 9-11. I thought, by having James telling us his thoughts on 9-11, that it echoed the sentiments shared by many who were present on that fateful day: "You'd be hard-pressed to find a fireman or a cop in New York who wasn't hit hard by 9-11. Most of us handled it all right. With grace and dignity... Some of us handled it...not so well." Right away one gets the impression that this isn't your run of the mill comic, and that writer Chuck Austen is truly reaching into the depths of his talents to pull out a vivid and intense tale of the drama of every day life. So often these people are overlooked or taken for granted, and it's nice to see a company like Marvel striving to recognize this world's 'X-Men' that do so much and don't get the credit they deserve.
My favorite scene of the issue, other than the dramatic opening scenes, is in the firehouse where James talks about his fellow "brothers" and the bond they have. It really gives you the sense that they are a close-knit family that watches out for each other. And then it's off to another fire, where disastrous things happen that leaves us with a cliffhanger...
The team-up of Chuck Austen and David Finch is perfect. With Finch (with help from inker Art Thibert) highlighting the fire scenes while Austen narrates the story, you know they are a match made in heaven because it sucks you right in right off the bat. Austen is really an incredible storyteller, the dialogue between James and Jen; James and his fellow firefighters is right on, done smartly and gives you a window at the life of firefighters. They help each other out, they joke and tease each other. Austen captures the life of the fireman so perfectly, it feels like you're one of them already by the time you finish this issue.
David Finch's pictures really add to the atmosphere of the story. You can feel the crackle of the fire, almost smell the smoke, sense the tension in the air while the firefighters walk through the rooms. The characters are drawn realistically, making them very human-like, right down to the yellow on their uniforms. Like I said before, it's just like watching a movie. Even attention is given to the background, such as the apartment buildings, the details of the firehouse. And Finch's fire truck. I love his fire truck; it's so visual it almost seems to have a life of its own, fueling the imagination. The strobe lights spinning, the sirens going off, the truck speeding down the street. It actually makes your heart pound with excitement.
And, finally, there's the underlying mystery of the girl. We mustn't forget about the girl. Who is she? Where did she come from? What war is coming? In the attached preview of The Precinct, while Jen is checking the girl out, she tells Jen that her father is upset because there's a war coming And Jen replies, "Yeah, I know, honey. It's a scary time right now," referring to terrorism, but I doubt the girl means that. There's something creepy about the girl and how she just stands there and calmly tells them this statement, "There's a war coming," seeming like a prophet of doom. She disappears mysteriously right after telling these three people, James, Gunzer and Jen that cryptic remark and leaves us baffled and wondering what the heck is going on, like the characters themselves; they're as confused as we are. What is the girl's purpose? And what is so special about the three heroes that she chose to reveal herself to? What I found more interesting is the order it was in. First the firefighter, James, and then the cop, Gunzer and finally the paramedic, Jen. Is there a specific reason for this order? Hopefully this will be followed up in further issues of The Brotherhood, because at this point, I'm already intrigued and want to know more!
A great story by Chuck Austen and incredible art by David Finch that's already a smash bestseller. So, what are you waiting for? Go pick it up now while it's still on the stands!
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
Quick Rating Excellent!
Story Title: The Fireman's Prayer
It's time now for the true heroes of the Marvel Universe, beginning with New York's finest firefighters!
Written by: Chuck Austen
Pencilled by: David Finch
Inked by: Art Thibert
Colored by: Avalon Studios
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Assistant Editors: C.B. Cebulski & Brian Smith
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
First of all, let me say that ever since I was a little boy, I loved firefighters. It was a sort of hero worship since my next door neighbor was one, and I just thought the whole concept of it was so cool. Saving lives, putting out raging fires, and making a difference. It seemed like a cool job to have. The Call of Duty: The Brotherhood captures that childhood excitement, that awe-inspiring feeling. The opening scene is right out of an action movie. In fact, the story itself unfolds just like a movie, you can see the pictures-provided in perfect detail by artist David Finch-move with a pace so intense that it's hard to believe they don't actually move on the page.
The comic starts with, of course, a fire. The heroes of the story are busy fighting the fire when the main character, James, stumbles upon a girl standing in the kitchen, surrounded by flames everywhere. She tells him, in the middle of this madness, that "There's a war coming. Lots of people are going to die." He grabs the girl to rescue her and falls through the floor, thus losing her. Later on, getting patching up by a female paramedic, he knows that losing the girl will stay with him forever, just like another firefighter who stumbled on two kids who died from smoke inhalation. It stayed with that firefighter forever, and James knows that this incident will stay with him for the rest of his life as well. He's in for a surprise. This scene also introduces us to Jen, who will appear in the upcoming The Call of Duty: The Wagon. This sets off a sequence of events that eventually introduces us to the another major player in this series, a cop named Gunzer, whose name is revealed in the attached preview at the end of this issue, The Call of Duty: The Precinct.
But since this issue of The Brotherhood focuses on James, we'll stay with him. He's going through some personal problems, such as divorce, and there is the inevitable mention of 9-11. I thought, by having James telling us his thoughts on 9-11, that it echoed the sentiments shared by many who were present on that fateful day: "You'd be hard-pressed to find a fireman or a cop in New York who wasn't hit hard by 9-11. Most of us handled it all right. With grace and dignity... Some of us handled it...not so well." Right away one gets the impression that this isn't your run of the mill comic, and that writer Chuck Austen is truly reaching into the depths of his talents to pull out a vivid and intense tale of the drama of every day life. So often these people are overlooked or taken for granted, and it's nice to see a company like Marvel striving to recognize this world's 'X-Men' that do so much and don't get the credit they deserve.
My favorite scene of the issue, other than the dramatic opening scenes, is in the firehouse where James talks about his fellow "brothers" and the bond they have. It really gives you the sense that they are a close-knit family that watches out for each other. And then it's off to another fire, where disastrous things happen that leaves us with a cliffhanger...
The team-up of Chuck Austen and David Finch is perfect. With Finch (with help from inker Art Thibert) highlighting the fire scenes while Austen narrates the story, you know they are a match made in heaven because it sucks you right in right off the bat. Austen is really an incredible storyteller, the dialogue between James and Jen; James and his fellow firefighters is right on, done smartly and gives you a window at the life of firefighters. They help each other out, they joke and tease each other. Austen captures the life of the fireman so perfectly, it feels like you're one of them already by the time you finish this issue.
David Finch's pictures really add to the atmosphere of the story. You can feel the crackle of the fire, almost smell the smoke, sense the tension in the air while the firefighters walk through the rooms. The characters are drawn realistically, making them very human-like, right down to the yellow on their uniforms. Like I said before, it's just like watching a movie. Even attention is given to the background, such as the apartment buildings, the details of the firehouse. And Finch's fire truck. I love his fire truck; it's so visual it almost seems to have a life of its own, fueling the imagination. The strobe lights spinning, the sirens going off, the truck speeding down the street. It actually makes your heart pound with excitement.
And, finally, there's the underlying mystery of the girl. We mustn't forget about the girl. Who is she? Where did she come from? What war is coming? In the attached preview of The Precinct, while Jen is checking the girl out, she tells Jen that her father is upset because there's a war coming And Jen replies, "Yeah, I know, honey. It's a scary time right now," referring to terrorism, but I doubt the girl means that. There's something creepy about the girl and how she just stands there and calmly tells them this statement, "There's a war coming," seeming like a prophet of doom. She disappears mysteriously right after telling these three people, James, Gunzer and Jen that cryptic remark and leaves us baffled and wondering what the heck is going on, like the characters themselves; they're as confused as we are. What is the girl's purpose? And what is so special about the three heroes that she chose to reveal herself to? What I found more interesting is the order it was in. First the firefighter, James, and then the cop, Gunzer and finally the paramedic, Jen. Is there a specific reason for this order? Hopefully this will be followed up in further issues of The Brotherhood, because at this point, I'm already intrigued and want to know more!
A great story by Chuck Austen and incredible art by David Finch that's already a smash bestseller. So, what are you waiting for? Go pick it up now while it's still on the stands!
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!