The cover: A dolphin rises from the water, a computer guide over its right eye and two large guns with laser sightings are mounted on its back. On its left fin it holds several hand grenades. The water creatures have now entered the fight for the city. This ominous image comes courtesy of Eric Gapstur with Guy Major. In previous issues dolphins were shown to be holy terrors to land dwellers. Now bearing weapons, how much worse can they get? This issue addresses that frightening question. For how friendly dolphins are shown in every form of media, this is one creepy image! Overall grade: A
The story: Adam North lies in a bed in Pullman Hospital after being gored by Penelope last issue. He has nothing to do but think, think of this past and present. He recalls what he would have done to save his father from the pain he knew the man endured. It must have been similar to the pain he’s now feeling. He also considers how he has been unable to stop the pain that the city has with all its inhabitants trying to survive. ‘Every day I help a tyrant rule a city of huddled masses, starving and laboring for a dream they won’t survive to see. I can’t live and be good. I can’t die and be good.’ As he laments his and the new world’s fate, a group of nefarious individuals are having a discussion aboard the floating casino. Among them are the humans Viktor and Leila, the hyena, the cheetah, and Fuzu the turtle. Viktor is impatient for the revolution to begin, which stalled out in the last issue. This group wants to see Wintermute and her version of the new world destroyed in favor of their own. Speaking of the canine leader, she visits Adam and does something to him. After doing so, the story returns to the villains who have figured out another terrible way to tear down society. Just when I think Marguerite Bennett can’t create anything worse for these characters to endure, she creates a new hell for them. This issue might just be the spark that ignites war. Overall grade: A
The art: Adam North looks absolutely frail on the splash page that opens this work. His head is bandaged, his face is swallowed by an oxygen mask, and his arms are scuffed in spots, but they look so thin — so painfully thin. This is not a typical image found in any Animosity book and it’s quite the gut punch opener. This is followed by a double-paged spread that goes inside Adam’s mind as he thinks, and he’s not thinking good things: a giant crab looks ready to destroy the city, while beneath the buildings a huge system of roots intertwine with human skulls impaled on some of them. In the bottom right corner is an ant wearing a hat, a raccoon in a three piece suit, and a lizard with a nose piercing and a fur lined jacket using a cane. These three creatures symbolize the face of the new world order and they are comical and frightening. The scenes on the floating casino are creepers in a different way: individuals calmly discuss how to tear the world asunder. Standouts in these scenes include the Hyena for just being a looming psychopath, with the third panel on Page 5 showing how he threatens people. Artist Eric Gapstur has got a terrific handle on creating calm menace on these pages that just ooze with simmering danger underneath every visual. Pages 8 – 11 are the stunners this issue, taking the reader inside a journey to Adam’s brain as Wintermute speaks with him. It’s very cosmic and drugs should not be taken while looking at these pages! They are graphic, trippy, and absolutely awesome. The penultimate page captures the reactions of five different groups to a hostile action and they are great: I love when different perspectives on this book are shown and this trigger is certainly reason to show how it’s effected the population. Overall grade: A
The colors: The voyage inside Adam’s mind are the darkest colored moments in this issue from Rob Schwager, while the evil meeting on the floating casino has the brightest. These choices go against what one expects and have the reader wondering if maybe those who have been considered the good guys aren’t and neither are the bad guys. Neon green for the crab explodes against a backdrop of ebony as it seeks to destroy the red city and its bright orange roots. When Wintermute goes through her change darkness takes over, with sparks of blue, red, and silver stealing focus when it can. These colors accentuate this part of the tale extremely well. The casino is in white, giving it an air of purity and wholesomeness, which is in complete contrast to the dialogue. The reds on Page 17 are a slick way for colors to bind two characters together. Notice that darkness overtakes the last panel of the issue, recalling Wintermute and Adam’s pages. Very cool. Overall grade: A
The letters: Marshall Dillon’s lettering duties for this issue include creating scene settings, dialogue and narration (the same font), the tiny voice of one familiar character, and a sound. I enjoy narration’s visual more if it’s a different font from dialogue. This issue it’s very easy to tell when one is thinking as the balloon that contains it is a box and the coloring is not white. This is okay, but it just looks better if the narration is a different style. After all, it is a different form of communication for the character and the reader. The same can be said of the many animals in this issue whose dialogue balloons are given different shapes to separate them from the speech of man, but I can’t help thinking that a different font would have been better. The lettering on this book is fine, but I find myself thinking “Wouldn’t it…?” too often. Overall grade: B
The final line: One character undergoes a trip of the mind, while the new world order faces its greatest threat yet. Another fantastic installment that shows the struggles this new society faces. The characters and their conflicts are engaging and the visuals are great. Should I feel guilty from getting such joy from a book titled Animosity? Overall grade: A-
To purchase a digital copy go to https://www.comixology.com/Animosity-Evolution-7/digital-comic/663580?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC90b3BSZXN1bHRzU2xpZGVy
To see the cover visit my Instagram account: patrickhayesscifipulse
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