CREDIT: 451 Media
Rating: 4/5 – The Part Where They Start Putting The Team Together…
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall
451 Media is a young publisher but have been putting out some impressive comics over the past few months. I reviewed Sunflower a few months ago and am still enjoying that series 3 issues in. Six is the brainchild of George Pelecanos, writer/producer of The Wire, and it shows its roots. Like The Wire, Six is a gripping tale with a healthy dose of realism. The story focuses on a group of Marines, formerly comprising the five-one ‘Sand Scorpions’ in Iraq.
Six has been following a standard setup pattern so far; issue one introduced the team’s background in Iraq as well as a key event that ties the group together stateside, issue two is the hook setting up the driving point of conflict that will set the Six against a Mexican drug cartel, and issue 3 is the part where they start reassembling the team and prepping for the trip into enemy territory. Writer Andi Ewington, mind behind the wonderful OGN 45, brings a flair to the dialogue that feels like stuff people would actually say. Mack Chater’s art got the job done but could have been better. Chater is a solid journeyman artist, but could use some refinement in his portrayal of faces and the panel layouts could have been a bit more dynamic. There was a bit of variation in size and shape of panels but it didn’t stray much from a pretty standard grid.
I have really been enjoying this series so far. There has been a good amount of depth and definition to the characters and a fairly believable motivation in the point of conflict, taking into account standard “doing some stupid stuff to help get things rolling” that happens in most of these kinds of stories (that “stupid stuff” happened mostly in issue 2). I could see Six being made into a movie. Add a great cast and it could be a really credible summer hit. Add a weak cast of unknowns and you’d get a B-movie that might go straight to video. But casting isn’t an issue here, because it’s a comic, and the nuances of the performances are filled in within your own mind as you read the story. I look forward to both getting into the meat of the action in upcoming issues as well as seeing how the story resolves. As I mentioned above, 451 Media is a new publisher and their books may not be on the rack at your local comic shop. Watch a trailer for Six on the 451 site; if it looks good to you, ask you local shop to order it for you!
Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
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