13 Coins CollectionReview by Paul Fiander
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WRITERS: Martin Brennan, Michael B. Jackson
ARTIST: Simon Bisley, COLOURS: Ryan Brown COVERS BY: Simon Bisley, Ryan Brown PUBLISHER: Titan Comics PAGECOUNT: 160 COVER PRICE: £18.99, $22.99 RELEASE DATE: 08 July |
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Simon Bisley’s art has rightly been lauded throughout the first arc of 13 Coins. The fluidity of the battle sequences mixed with the gritty take on world has won over many a fan. This sometimes though overshadows a great story lurking within the 160 pages (including the back matter) of this hardcover from Titan comics. Brennan and Jackson were the screenwriters of Hitman Absolution which is held in high regard among fans of the series and still has a 4/5 rating on Metacritic.
From the opening of the story you can tell this will be a journey through the fantastical, with explanations of fallen angels, vampires and werewolves among other mythical creatures suspension of disbelief is a prerequisite for this story. When you do get deeper into the story you will find more down to earth elements interwoven into the story like revenge, corruption and good old fashioned greed. It’s this mixture of elements that make this such an intriguing tale. The main focus of the tale is John Pozer a high school basketball progeny who has fallen onto hard times after getting in with the wrong crowd. The story though quickly develops to let us know the reasoning behind his fall and his athletic ability. Obviously this is not a Roy of the Rovers tale but the way the sporting acumen is worked into the story is a nice touch (though it does feel a little reminiscent of Men in Black). Even though we get a big chunk of exposition it is nicely diluted throughout the entire collection, this gives us a series of peaks and troughs in terms of action that give the reading a great cadence. Of course the action does show off the best of Bisley’s art with a variety of weapons on show from swords to firearms the mixture of injuries are brutally rendered. His character choices all feel true to the demeanour of the person in question, even though a few do fall into stereotypes we have seen before he still manages to give them a unique feel. The colours by Ryan Brown help to show off the depth of the art making this a great visual spectacle. This is a great format to enjoy 13 coins the hardcover feels weighty and the paper stock is a great tactile experience and helps to show off Bisley’s art that a lower grade paper could diminish. This collection comes highly recommended though not for the squeamish among you. |
Preview Images
13 Coins features in our 5 Singles and a Trade for July 8th which you can see here
Collection and Images from Publisher
