EXTREMITY review - Extremely good

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)

Extremity is a 2017-2018 12 issue comic series by Daniel Warren Johnson with Mike Spicer and Rus Whooten. Published by Skybound/Image, it is set in a post-apocalyptic world among the skies and follows an ongoing clan war. Extremity was met with critical and fan acclaim--I checked it out because how much r/ImageComics was over about it. I tend to enjoy Image releases, and Extremity was no exception. It is definitely one of my favorite comics of the decade. This shreds.

Warren Johnson's art is immaculate in its rendering. It's the kind of comic you could easily pore over slowly to savor how good the art is. Something I really appreciated was how handily Daniel (no, not you, anemic boi) was able to juggle his Hayao Miyazaki AND Mad Max influences while still keeping everything feeling distinctly his own. Spicer delivers some wonderful colors that elevate the visuals beyond belief. And then Rus comes in and wraps everything up in a nice, neat bow with his lettering as tight as usual.

Where Extremity really surprised me was its interesting themes, which I do not want to talk too much about directly so as to not spoil anything. But I will say they are handled with a deft hand and tied into the narrative masterfully. A narrator that is, mind you, fantastic. Predictable at times, yes. You can predict which character will have the big heroic sacrifice moment with ease. But that's not really a disappointment considering that moment still has an impact in practice. And the ending is just bonkers, but in the best of ways. The characters are all interesting, but my favorites were Meshiba and Abba/Jerome. Abba is probably the one most will be drawn to; he's the logical conclusion of the man who lost everything archetype.

Extremity rocks. It really does. It's inordinately fun, but also razor sharp and full of emotion. A self-contained masterpiece. Eager to jump onto its follow-up, Murder Falcon, eventually. Extremity gets a 10/10.

Masterpiece

Summary:

Smart, enjoyable, brutal. One of THE comics of the 2010's.