Anghus Houvouras reviews Zero #6…
“The Large Hadron Collider. Edward Zero’s newly gained knowledge. A man with a plan to end the universe so a better one can be born.
They all connect here.”
Where did the horses go? That question resonated in my head long after finishing the latest issue of Zero from Image Comics.
Ales Kot’s Zero is one of a handful of titles I find myself actively excited to read each month. It has really tapped into something creatively unique and is pushing boundaries in an era of comic books where it seemed like every direction had already been traveled. Zero is a series that feels like equal parts art and espionage. Every month’s issue, drawn by a different artist, forces you to engage with the characters and the story in a way traditional comics don’t. Each new issues is like a re-introduction to the concepts and the characters.
Agent Zero has had a rough time of late dealing with some harsh realities of his existence. After enduring a gauntlet of brutality in the search for super terrorist Ginsberg Nova, he’s finally close to tracking him down. He’s also dealing with a great deal of deception from the organization that berthed him into the espionage game. He is slowly making steps to break free of the programming that has controlled him his entire life, like rejecting the sanctioned medication doses he has taken for years.
The issue blends some fantastic scripting with some amazing art. Ales Kot weaves a beautiful, prose like narrative in this issue that sees Zero and Nova finally get some face to face time. It turns out Nova has connections to the same shadowy organization that controls Zero. The world’s greatest monster has been engineered from the same monster factory.
Vanessa Del Ray’s art is stunning and perfectly complimented by Jordie Bellaire’s striking colors. There are some downright gorgeous panels in this issue. There’s some wonderfully bloody action that is both brutal and kinetic. Kot continues to pair with interesting artists who deliver a unique experience with each issue.
What I liked about this issue was that we finally get a proper villain. The series has been dealing with a few complexities and conundrums, but up until now the bad guys seemed nebulous and ethereal. Issue #6 gives us a scenery chewing, black hearted villain who fits perfectly into the world Kot is creating. Ginsberg Nova’s scenes are electric and wonderfully staged.
Zero #6 is another fantastic issue of what has fast become the best book on the market today.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the novel My Career Suicide Note, is available from Amazon.
Originally published March 19, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
