Battle Chasers #11: Martial Law Levels Up

In the follow-up issue from its long-awaited return to comics, Battle Chasers #11 continues, jumping right into the action. Compared to the previous issue (#10), this story focuses more on just two of the main characters, Red Monika and Garrison. It limits the main sequences to just two whereas its predecessor had about 5. If you need a refresher on the previous issue, read the review of Battle Chasers #10 here.

Cover Art

The main cover was created by the artist of the comic series, Ludo Lullabi (World of Warcraft). Probably the most visually striking of all the covers, Lullabi’s main cover depicts Garrison’s reflection in a flat metallic red-tinted version of his primary weapon, The Cursed Blade, while a mysterious character is wielding it in front of their face, standing inside a light of charcoal blue. This cover hints at what is to happen in the story, and it is captivating.

Variant Cover B is created by the issue’s writer, Joe Madureira (The Uncanny X-Men, The Ultimates 3). It focuses more on a serene image of the romantic relationship between Monika and Garrison as they embrace each other on a hill, both looking out onto an unpictured world with peace on their face. The color palette uses a nice combination of blue and pink tones and definitely highlights the emotions captured in this cover.

Variant Cover C is created by Jonboy Meyers (Superman, Harley Quinn). A departure from the art depicted in the issue (as most variant covers are), Meyers C cover shows Garrison with his Cursed Blade, looking at the reader in a leap of action. He is surrounded by a myriad of explosions, while debris and flames engulf around him.

Variant Cover D is also created by Meyers, and it appears to be a counterpart of Cover C. It features Monika in a more scantly clad attire, holding up a pistol in one hand and firing another one in the direction of the reader in the other, all while golden coins and treasure chests are flying in the air around here.

Story & Writing

The story opens with a character that was previously thought to have been dead and buried, raises up from the ground with the help of a group of Black Widow spiders surrounding him. As he raises, he sees that Garrison’s home has been set ablaze and this is particularly worrisome to him. Meanwhile, Monika tries to bandage herself to stop the bleeding from a wound she receives while she was escaping from her attackers. In the process, a headless, giant scorpion-like creature chases after her, and she decides to go toe-to-toe to fight it. Finally, the last half of the story focuses on Garrison making his stand with his Cursed Blade against Maestro and his newly hired mercenaries of Martial Paladins, Grave, Leech, and Sin. During the fight, the blade makes a revelation to Garrison, which changes the outcome of the battle…

Madureira’s writing here is a shining example of how to write a fantasy story well. For any fan of the genre, this reads how one would expect it to unfold. The unexpected events that changes the story and what is possible; the existence of human, human-like people, and creatures as very real entities (and threats); a blend of the natural and magical coming together. The story was easy to follow from sequence to sequence, and each page was just as engaging as the previous. The elements of mystery, action, and sexual appeal is a perfect blend in creating a fantastic story.

One of the areas that readers may struggle with is keeping up with the characters. If a reader isn’t familiar with the first nine issues, then some of the story may be lost upon them. There is a character in the story that hasn’t been given an explicit name in issue 10 or 11, so it’s hard to know who this character is and their relevance. Normally, it may not be a problem but given that one of these characters were recognized by a named character in a way that they know their abilities can then create a sense of confusion for the reader. Issue 10 had an opening page that gave character bios to help the reader get caught up with the story, but it still seem to be missing those bios for other characters found in the story.

Artwork

Just as with issue #10, the art and colors by Lullabi is absolutely stunning. The color palette for each of the main sequences has its own style that allows the readers the visual cue of knowing when the scene has ended and begins, and the art of the characters themselves are masterpieces. The way he draws the scene to lead your eye to the next panel is so natural and organic. He draws the Cursed Blade in such a way that the reader can sense its intimidation in every way on the page, and he knows how to draw Monika in a way that’s modestly seductive. There’s very little to critique about the artwork here.

Lettering tends to be an unappreciated job in the world of comics, but one cannot overlook the enticing work of Starkings (The Uncanny X-Men, Elephantmen) and Smith (Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, Joker / Harley: Criminal Sanity). The use of letters in dialogue as well as sound effects are just as much as art as the illustrations. Seeing how the sound effects word is drawn allows the reader to experience the sounds in the comic so succinctly, and changing up the colors of words in the dialogue gives it enough of an emphasis to drive home the emotion.