Lucas Blogs About Assassin Nation Vol. 1
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| Oh, Assassin Nation sounds like "assassination," I get it. |
So, what's this book's deal?
Well, the deal with Assassin Nation: Number One with a Bullet is that it's a comic book written by Kyle Starks and drawn by Erica Henderson. You may recall that Henderson was the original artist who worked with Ryan North on The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl . As for Kyle Starks, this is the first time I've read his work. Anyway, the comic opens with the attempted assassination of Boss Rankin, formerly the world's top-rated hitman, currently the head of the city's second-largest crime syndicate. In response, Rankin invites the current top twenty hired killers to his penthouse to offer them the chance to be his new protection detail. Unsurprisingly, several of them have been hired to kill him at this very gathering, leading to a shoot-out. Over the course of the five issues collected in this paperback we see Starks and Henderson explore such topics as gang warfare, betrayal, nostalgia, and, of course, the power of friendship.
So it's like an action comedy type of thing?
Yeah, it's an action comedy type of thing. And it has a surprising amount of heart. As the story progresses and the mystery unravels, the core cast of hired killers find that their camaraderie is their most valuable asset. And you might ask—
Wait a minute, are you about to pose a rhetorical question within a blog post that relies on a rhetorical device for its very structure?
Oh, I'm sorry, Hypothetical Reader, I didn't mean to step on your toes, by all means, ask the question that one might pose.
Well, I mean, contract killers aren't exactly sympathetic characters, are they? Why should the reader care about the bonds that they develop?
That's two questions. But they do get at the heart of what I wanted to talk about. So, no, you generally wouldn't feel particularly sympathetic to people who commit murder for pay. But then again, there are entire genres of fiction dedicated to following people who commit crimes. There are actually a number of tricks that Starks and Henderson employ to get you rooting for characters like Fuck Tarkington, Dave, Smoke, and Connie the Tank and against characters like Chad Fingerman and Fernando.
Wait, there's a character whose nom de hit is just Dave?
Yep. I'm surprised you didn't latch onto Fuck Tarkington. Anyway, one way to get audiences to like a protagonist who might be otherwise unlikeable to show them in the best possible light. For example, flashbacks reveal that Fuck Tarkington's first kill was an abusive pet owner (and, like Killer Croc, he threw a rock at him). Another strategy is to make the antagonist even worse than the protagonist. For example, Chad Fingerman is every reality show asshole who isn't there to make friends, so his heel turn isn't particularly surprising, and the moment when he's bested by the teamwork of the protagonists, it's even more satisfying. The other way to sell it is with crackerjack action set pieces and snappy dialogue.
I dunno, it sounds like you're valuing flash over substance.
It's possible, but I also think there's value in entertainment that's entertaining for its own sake. That isn't to say that there isn't any sort of moral or message in the comic. It pretty clearly states that there's more value in human connection than in status and power. However, that message is accompanied by cartoonish, over-the-top violence, and fun jokes, like the one on the first page where Rankin reveals that he used to be called Chekhov's Gun. Which Starks then takes a step further by having the person he tells be underwhelmed by how obvious the reference is. The point is that the book tickled my funny bone and brought me enjoyment.
All right, and how would you describe the art? Perhaps you might call it "expressive" and "dynamic."
You're not gonna let that go, are you?
I mean, it seems pretty silly to stop calling out the fact that you've gone back to that well a few times.
All right. So, the art's good. Henderson's mix of flowing lines and sharp angles will be familiar to readers of USG. Her action scenes are clear, and as with her work on Squirrel Girl, she excels at drawing characters in outfits that are both fresh to death and reflect their character. Assassin Nation also sees her working as the colorist and I really like what she's done here. Particularly with the backgrounds and lighting, lots of bold reds and oranges to fuel the mood. And a lot of her color choices help give the line drawings a greater feeling of three dimensionality.
Anything else to say?
Keep away if you don't like graphic violence? I'm not going to say that Henderson intentionally followed up her work on an award-winning all ages book by co-creating a decidedly not-kid-friendly one in order to demonstrate her range as an artist. But if that was her intention, mission accomplished. In any case, yeah, if you're not into crime stories or violence or dark comedy, this isn't the book for you.
Assassin Nation — Volume One: Number One with a Bullet written by Kyle Starks and drawn by Erica Henderson, Image Comics trade paperback edition, September 2019, 112 pages, pairs well with friendship and/or mayhem
Links:
Here are the creator's twitter pages, if you're into that kinda thing.
So it's like an action comedy type of thing?
Yeah, it's an action comedy type of thing. And it has a surprising amount of heart. As the story progresses and the mystery unravels, the core cast of hired killers find that their camaraderie is their most valuable asset. And you might ask—
Wait a minute, are you about to pose a rhetorical question within a blog post that relies on a rhetorical device for its very structure?
Oh, I'm sorry, Hypothetical Reader, I didn't mean to step on your toes, by all means, ask the question that one might pose.
Well, I mean, contract killers aren't exactly sympathetic characters, are they? Why should the reader care about the bonds that they develop?
That's two questions. But they do get at the heart of what I wanted to talk about. So, no, you generally wouldn't feel particularly sympathetic to people who commit murder for pay. But then again, there are entire genres of fiction dedicated to following people who commit crimes. There are actually a number of tricks that Starks and Henderson employ to get you rooting for characters like Fuck Tarkington, Dave, Smoke, and Connie the Tank and against characters like Chad Fingerman and Fernando.
Wait, there's a character whose nom de hit is just Dave?
Yep. I'm surprised you didn't latch onto Fuck Tarkington. Anyway, one way to get audiences to like a protagonist who might be otherwise unlikeable to show them in the best possible light. For example, flashbacks reveal that Fuck Tarkington's first kill was an abusive pet owner (and, like Killer Croc, he threw a rock at him). Another strategy is to make the antagonist even worse than the protagonist. For example, Chad Fingerman is every reality show asshole who isn't there to make friends, so his heel turn isn't particularly surprising, and the moment when he's bested by the teamwork of the protagonists, it's even more satisfying. The other way to sell it is with crackerjack action set pieces and snappy dialogue.
I dunno, it sounds like you're valuing flash over substance.
It's possible, but I also think there's value in entertainment that's entertaining for its own sake. That isn't to say that there isn't any sort of moral or message in the comic. It pretty clearly states that there's more value in human connection than in status and power. However, that message is accompanied by cartoonish, over-the-top violence, and fun jokes, like the one on the first page where Rankin reveals that he used to be called Chekhov's Gun. Which Starks then takes a step further by having the person he tells be underwhelmed by how obvious the reference is. The point is that the book tickled my funny bone and brought me enjoyment.
All right, and how would you describe the art? Perhaps you might call it "expressive" and "dynamic."
You're not gonna let that go, are you?
I mean, it seems pretty silly to stop calling out the fact that you've gone back to that well a few times.
All right. So, the art's good. Henderson's mix of flowing lines and sharp angles will be familiar to readers of USG. Her action scenes are clear, and as with her work on Squirrel Girl, she excels at drawing characters in outfits that are both fresh to death and reflect their character. Assassin Nation also sees her working as the colorist and I really like what she's done here. Particularly with the backgrounds and lighting, lots of bold reds and oranges to fuel the mood. And a lot of her color choices help give the line drawings a greater feeling of three dimensionality.
Anything else to say?
Keep away if you don't like graphic violence? I'm not going to say that Henderson intentionally followed up her work on an award-winning all ages book by co-creating a decidedly not-kid-friendly one in order to demonstrate her range as an artist. But if that was her intention, mission accomplished. In any case, yeah, if you're not into crime stories or violence or dark comedy, this isn't the book for you.
Assassin Nation — Volume One: Number One with a Bullet written by Kyle Starks and drawn by Erica Henderson, Image Comics trade paperback edition, September 2019, 112 pages, pairs well with friendship and/or mayhem
Links:
Here are the creator's twitter pages, if you're into that kinda thing.
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