Rasputin #1Review by Paul Fiander
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The Comic is available in both print from Image comics. Follow this link for more details.
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There are times when reality can be more fanciful than fiction and Grigori Rasputin certainly had a life fit for the tallest tales. Born a peasant in the harsh land of ice and snow that is Siberia he would rise to the prominent position to personal advisor to the Romanov’s (the rulers of Russia at the time) and from there things start getting really strange. Truthfully trying to separate the truth from the embellished in certain faucets of history is a difficult task and this is a point that is used rather creatively within the books title.
It’s called Rasputin but the subtitle reads Based on True-ish events, and the addition of the three letters "ish" is probably one of the smartest moves the creators could have made. This acknowledgement that this is part fiction part truth allows the plot more wiggle room as well as reminding the reader that there once was a man named Rasputin. The Creative team for this series consists of Alex Grecian (Writer), Riley Rossmo (Art), Ivan Plascena (colours) and Thomas Mauer (Letters). They have all obviously contributed to the story at large but as is becoming the norm for first issues they have all had a piece printed at the end of the issue telling us about their path to the creative team. Grecian’s story is perhaps the most intriguing and shows an element of the serendipitous in regards to how this book came about. The meat of the issue focuses on a young Rasputin growing up in Siberia, it is far from an idyllic setting but from this section we get the just of not only the powers of the man but also his character. One of the best parts of this section is the economy of words, Rossmo’s art is given the freedom to tell you the story giving the imagery more strength. Words obviously could have worked but the story felt more immersive thanks to the lack of needless spoken exposition. Bookending this section we get to be with Rasputin on the night of his murder. This again gives an insight into the characters psyche as well as giving us a rather chilling final panel that is full of promise for the series going forward. Rasputin is an extremely polished first issue the storytelling feels spot on as we get an insight into the characters past and present. It’s visually stunning and should draw you in from the very first panel. This is an easy recommend and a great start to what is looking like a great series. Issue Rating 4.5/5 |
