Kill The Revisionist Ape Entertainment Review by Chuck Moore |
A series always catches my eye when it can combine humor, a fresh twist on the super hero genre and still leave me thinking about the story well after I reach the end. Ape Entertainment's Kill the Revisionist by Chad Lambert and Chris Steininger does just that.
Kill the Revisionist is the be all, end all tale for Lambert's Revisionist character though this isn't the Revisionist's first story. The character originally saw life as a regular feature in the pages of Digital Webbing Presents (2003 to 2006). It has since moved to Ape Entertainment for the current treatment where it was matched up with artist Chris Steininger for an edge-of-the seat, time bending, trill ride that finds itself wrapped in a solid story.
The story centers around a vigilante whose working to make a name for himself in the crime fighting world. Not wanting to start out small, the Revisionist declares war on the US's largest crime syndicate, The Cross. Along the way, we learn that this target has real organizational legs and a trans-dimensional leader who was present, quite literally, at the dawn of man. The Cross is a group that shows no signs of quitting and is dedicated to eliminating the Revisionist. To that end, they try time and time again throughout the story.
Basically, we have a hard to kill hero running head long into an immortal villain. Much blood, bullets and humor follows making for a roller coaster ride of super-hero action. Did we mention there are some really great twists and turns to the plot? Oh yes, strap yourself in for a full on "E" ticket ride as this coaster has loops.
I should warn you from experience... When you decide to read Kill The Revisionist, you will want to make sure you have the time to read it cover to cover. It has a beat and story progression that won't let you put it down... Remember, you were warned.
What surprised and intrigued me quite a bit about the story is the fact that it's almost as much about the Revisionist attempting to date a co-worker (Sara) throughout all the mayhem as it is about the overarching conflict with the Cross. Much of the humor is based in this ongoing, on again, off again, shotgun blast, on again relationship. It's great big fun and Sara actually ended up standing out as one of my favorite characters from the series as her quick humor proved an equal match for the Revisionist's own style.
On an initial flip through the book, it appeared to be littered with action and gave me a bit of a pre-conceived notion of what was coming. What I wasn't expecting was the quirky personality traits that immediately made the main characters recognizable, fresh and something well beyond the two dimensional page.
Steininger's art also plays a major role in the quality and, most certainly, look and feel of this graphic novel. His almost water color style is loose and refined almost simultaneously. It gives a very fluid feel to the art, but renders detail in all the right spots that matches the frenetic pace of the fun and story.
This book was an honestly enjoyable read and proved Chad Lambert is a writer to watch. I would certainly recommend trying Kill the Revisionist for the next evening you find yourself looking for action mixed with a solid story and a slight salting of quirky romance. It's a book worth reading right away.
Page last updated on October 12, 2008