Review: Extermination #7
Published by Boom! Studios
Written by Simon Spurrier
Art by V Ken Marion
Coloured by Michael Garland
The Plot
The Red Reaper is preparing for his plan to get Absolute, but then discovers that his weapon was lifted by Nox in the previous issue. Meanwhile Nox is protecting Mynxx from the Edda while trying to stop her bleeding. Reaper finds his way back to them only to discover a startling secret about Nox while spying on him. Mynxx calls Nox by his real name, which prompts him to tell her a secret. As a result, even with her dying breath she pushes him away and wants nothing to do with him. Sudden flashback time and Nox is leading a professor to a secret lair. Back in the present and Mynxx is now dead and Reaper finds Nox as they find a lot more survivors that need rescuing. Nox says something to Reaper that makes him angry and does something else that’s pretty deplorable. Flashback to Nox and the professor who reveals the portal he built for him and there is a flashback within a flashback showing the female Nox from a different dimension originally shown a couple of issues ago. The professor asks for assurances that this project is safe and Nox replies that it is, but does so with a sinister expression. His motives continue to be unclear and he deals with the professor after it’s revealed that there are issues with the portal. Back in the present and Nox and Reaper have found Absolute who is trapped in a pocket of null-time (according to Nox). Reaper begins to point out some observations that he’s made and Nox states that someone has to take Absolute’s place. Reaper tries to get the advantage on Nox, but to no avail. He then reveals that he’s been watching the whole time and knows the truth about what happened. There are some flashbacks that go back to that fateful day that the Edda arrived.
The Breakdown
The Red Reaper has become my favorite character in this series. He is always honest and his dishonesty and doesn’t compromise his own ideals. He’s the only one smart enough to have been able to determine what happened to the world. He’s a bad guy, but he’s not despicably evil as shown by his reaction to some of the events in this issue. He’s been a source of some funny one-liners and some really awkwardly funny moments. In the face of war, he’s been the one to truly have a grasp upon everything that has happened. I’m anxious to see what’s going to happen with Absolute once he’s freed. Also, I’m curious to see how he’s actually going to get free. His possible return is a game changer and he’s a definite x-factor. The origin of the Edda’s involvement is explained and it does make a lot of sense. Mynxx dying actually will help to push the story forward as the characters will all focus upon each other now. Her death was the only real option for her sanity because she was unintentionally the source of the conflict that brought about the invasion. Marion’s art continues to impress me. His action scenes are strong and he even makes exposition scenes look interesting. The inks are also really subtle, which work especially well with the colours. I’m definitely going to be looking out for Marion’s work in the future.
BUT…
This issue felt like a misstep for me. The revelations with Nox really hurt the downward progression as well as the opposing nature of the relationship between himself and Reaper. It made everything up to this point with him feel like it was nonexistent. I’m finally used to the flashback sequences, but it took me a while to get used to them. The apparent sinister nature of Nox could have been done differently by making things seem more accidental and whatnot. The flashbacks within the flashbacks were a nice effect, but they were a little difficult to follow. I’m not completely unhappy with the revelations in this issue, but it just came about more quickly than it should have. As of now, I do feel that the break-neck speed of the pacing may not work for this book. However, this is just one part of the story and I cannot make any judgements until I read more installments. As I’m writing this I just checked on future solicits and found that this comic is ending with the next issue. This is a shame because this series did have some great potential to go on even longer. I don’t know the circumstances behind this comic coming to an end, but nonetheless I wish that it wasn’t so.
Buy It, Borrow It, Shelf Read It, or Ignore It?
Borrow It. I have been consistently praising this book, but this issue was a misstep in my opinion. There are some pretty significant revelations in this comic that do require reading. Even though I was disappointed with some of the aspects of this book, I am still anticipating picking up the next issue. Overall, this has been a very enjoyable series and I am so glad that my LCS owner got me to pick up this comic. If your LCS provides discounts after a month of release then I’d recommend someone to pick this one up. Even for a misstep this issue was fairly enjoyable overall and still better than some of the offerings from the Big Two.
