BLACK MARKET review
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Black Market is a 4 issue long 2014 miniseries from BOOM! Studios. It's written by Frank Barbiere and illustrated by Victor Santos. Set in a world where superhuman DNA is a cure for the world's ailments, the clandestine organization, Biochem, has orchestrated the murdering of the population of "supers". Our main character is more or less the brains of a small team of Biochem operatives, and needs to find the cure for MS for his wife. Set in a taut world and very compelling, Black Market is a great little read.
Santos does a nice job with the visuals of Black Market. While not perhaps the "prettiest" art I've ever seen, it fits the tone, setting, and theme of the series and still looks good. Sure there are some minor hiccups here and there, but BM overall is a nice looker full of style. Not much to complain about or praise. The covers are pretty neat if that's your thing.
The initial concept of BM is captivating, and well executed. This isn't just a title that innovates just to innovate or one that takes a good idea and wastes it or dilutes it, it does what it needs to to be a good, unique read. The plot of BM is compelling, has some great twists, and had me at the edge of my proverbial seat the whole way through. High marks also go to the worldbuilding and lore of the title, as well as the clever ways in which the story is told. With not much time, this series was able to make a more interested world than others with 20 or 70 issues. Unfortunately, it does still falter when it comes to the pacing of the title, which feels a bit rushed. Maybe with two more issues, the story would feel more fulfilling, as I felt that it needed a bit more time in the oven. The ending also felt weak, and unsatisfactory after such great buildup.
When it comes to characters, I feel that there was only really one I got hooked to, and that has to be the main character. He's morally grey, enigmatic, has good goals and motivations, and I wanted to see things through with him. He's a likeable, interesting character, even if his name is as forgettable as The Matrix (plz don't hurt me). Was it Ronny or Walter or Reginald or something? Dunno, it's unimportant. The side characters aren't particularly astounding--his wife and Bruiser seemed cool, oh, and Ultra was an interesting take on a Superman-type character, but these guys didn't get enough airtime or so to speak. The dialogue and monologue are superb. Really interesting stuff, with some philosophical thoughts about the world which added some depth to things.
Overall, Black Market is a strong miniseries with some problems, but was well worth the read. It's an interesting one and done series and one of the reasons why publishers like BOOM! smoke the competition in terms of quality. People pine so much for new stories but there's so much with BOOM! and Image and Monkeybrain and even IDW that's so new and intriguing, people are just too fucking lazy to read them and get out of their comfort zones. Smh. Well that rant done, I highly recommend Black Market, especially if you dig stuff like Anti-Hero. It digs into questions of morality and whatnot and does so in a slick, compelling way. Black Market gets an 8.5/10.
Great
Summary:
An excellent narrative, an incredible main character, exceptional worldbuilding and lore, fantastic dialogue and narration, a fascinating concept, intriguing philosophy, solid covers, and good-looking. It's held back by lackluster pacing, a mediocre ending, and an okay side cast that was less fleshed out than it could've been.
(originally posted: 9/19/2016)
Black Market is a 4 issue long 2014 miniseries from BOOM! Studios. It's written by Frank Barbiere and illustrated by Victor Santos. Set in a world where superhuman DNA is a cure for the world's ailments, the clandestine organization, Biochem, has orchestrated the murdering of the population of "supers". Our main character is more or less the brains of a small team of Biochem operatives, and needs to find the cure for MS for his wife. Set in a taut world and very compelling, Black Market is a great little read.
Santos does a nice job with the visuals of Black Market. While not perhaps the "prettiest" art I've ever seen, it fits the tone, setting, and theme of the series and still looks good. Sure there are some minor hiccups here and there, but BM overall is a nice looker full of style. Not much to complain about or praise. The covers are pretty neat if that's your thing.
The initial concept of BM is captivating, and well executed. This isn't just a title that innovates just to innovate or one that takes a good idea and wastes it or dilutes it, it does what it needs to to be a good, unique read. The plot of BM is compelling, has some great twists, and had me at the edge of my proverbial seat the whole way through. High marks also go to the worldbuilding and lore of the title, as well as the clever ways in which the story is told. With not much time, this series was able to make a more interested world than others with 20 or 70 issues. Unfortunately, it does still falter when it comes to the pacing of the title, which feels a bit rushed. Maybe with two more issues, the story would feel more fulfilling, as I felt that it needed a bit more time in the oven. The ending also felt weak, and unsatisfactory after such great buildup.
When it comes to characters, I feel that there was only really one I got hooked to, and that has to be the main character. He's morally grey, enigmatic, has good goals and motivations, and I wanted to see things through with him. He's a likeable, interesting character, even if his name is as forgettable as The Matrix (plz don't hurt me). Was it Ronny or Walter or Reginald or something? Dunno, it's unimportant. The side characters aren't particularly astounding--his wife and Bruiser seemed cool, oh, and Ultra was an interesting take on a Superman-type character, but these guys didn't get enough airtime or so to speak. The dialogue and monologue are superb. Really interesting stuff, with some philosophical thoughts about the world which added some depth to things.
Overall, Black Market is a strong miniseries with some problems, but was well worth the read. It's an interesting one and done series and one of the reasons why publishers like BOOM! smoke the competition in terms of quality. People pine so much for new stories but there's so much with BOOM! and Image and Monkeybrain and even IDW that's so new and intriguing, people are just too fucking lazy to read them and get out of their comfort zones. Smh. Well that rant done, I highly recommend Black Market, especially if you dig stuff like Anti-Hero. It digs into questions of morality and whatnot and does so in a slick, compelling way. Black Market gets an 8.5/10.
Great
Summary:
An excellent narrative, an incredible main character, exceptional worldbuilding and lore, fantastic dialogue and narration, a fascinating concept, intriguing philosophy, solid covers, and good-looking. It's held back by lackluster pacing, a mediocre ending, and an okay side cast that was less fleshed out than it could've been.
(originally posted: 9/19/2016)
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