Repo City State begins to take its toll on Butch.
Adam Egypt Mortimer and Darick Robertson’s Ballistic #1 was one hell of a drug-fueled, action-packed, crime-soaked issue, and this week’s follow-up proves that the duo won’t be pulling any punches in the near future. In this month’s offering, Ballistic expands from crazed futuristic adventure to a series with a definite feeling that something bigger is brewing under the scenes. Amidst the background of leading man Butch desperately tracking down his closest friend, Gun, a genetically engineered trash-talking weapon, Ballistic packs in even crazier futuristic ideas that are undeniably hilarious.
Ballistic #2 opens grim and gritty and continues to be so through its entirety. Just like in the initial chapter, Butch and Gun’s world continues to expand its drug-induced horizons, with fixes, bad trips, and the strangest of characters interacting with our two leads. Mortimer is clearly letting his imagination run rampant in the pages of Ballistic, with one of the most fun instances resulting from the introduction of a bio-engineered virus unlike any our world has ever seen. It’s not all fun and games for Butch, however, as story his turns quite bleak and leads to a character defining moment as the book comes to a close. There’s truly no way to speculate on what is in store for Butch and Gun, which makes the series all the more fun.
Darick Robertson’s art was beyond impressive last issue as he brought Repo City State to life with his organic and gritty art, but here in issue #2 he truly let his talents loose. Between the much larger variety of settings and an expansion of the content found in Repo City State, Robertson’s art feels more diverse and alive than ever. This lively feeling, moreover, is definitely made more vibrant by Diego Rodriguez’s wide color palette. Ballistic #2 is packed with almost every color imaginable, from blood-gushing reds, to the bright pink of deadly lasers, to a face-melting orange virus, and beyond.
While its content is certainly not for the faint of heart, Ballistic continues to be an incredibly fun book. Adam Egypt Mortimer and Darick Robertson’s world of infinite possibilities will surely keep the series fresh as it marches towards its conclusion. There’s no telling what comes next for Butch and Gun, but that is exactly what will keep me coming back.
Adam Egypt Mortimer (W), Darick Robertson (A), Diego Rodriguez (C) • Black Mask Studios, $3.50, September 11, 2013.
