CREDIT: DC/Vertigo
Rating: 4.5/5 – Heaven Help the 1%. Katya Walker is Coming For You.
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall.
The Names #4 opens the second story arc of this 9 issue limited series set against the world of the ultra rich “big money” types (lately popularized as the 1%) who seem to be able to do whatever crazy stuff they want with no regard for anyone but themselves, truly above the law. If you like this kind of thriller like I do then you should be checking out “The Names”.
Peter Milligan has created a world where this 1% cabal is known as The Names, and they do whatever they want. There is a darkly humorous example in this issue of what they do with 190 million dollars of artwork, just because they can. This issue delves deeper into the character of The Surgeon, an enforcer for The Names who may be moving off onto his own playbook. We met him in issue #1 as he orchestrated the ‘suicide’ of ultra wealthy Wall Street trader Kevin Walker. It was Walker’s suicide that set this entire series in motion as his young wife Katya, who he had apparently been grooming for just such an eventuality, is seeking out why he died and planning to get revenge for the loss of her husband. The art by Leandro Fernandez is well suited for the story. I get a feel of Brian Azzarello crossed with Mark Buckingham from it, keeping my comparison in the Vertigo realm. He keeps the action moving and has minimal backgrounds but enough to keep me with a sense of the places where the story takes us.
We’re in the middle of this limited series so I wouldn’t recommend diving into the action with this issue, but we’re close enough to the beginning that you may be able to grab up #1 to #3 at your local shop. Barring that, keep your eyes open for the collected edition. This story is great for people who liked 100 Bullets or who like stories involving evil rich bastards acting like evil rich bastards. The 1% pulling the strings of the world with no regard to the “common folk” (which likely includes everyone reading this review) is a fun genre to explore and Milligan put enough of a new twist on this story to make it truly entertaining for me. I’m looking forward to seeing Katya work her way up the chain towards the reasons behind her husband’s death and what I’m assuming will be her eventual revenge on those who orchestrated it.
Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
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