Rasputin #4
Livening up
Writer: Alex Grecian
Artists: Riley Rossmo & Ivan Plascencia
Publisher: Image
As Rasputin nears his inevitable end, he feels more alive than ever. So does this comic.
Grecian and Rossmo, the driving creative force behind this comic humanize Rasputin more than ever before and bring him one step closer to the infamous stuff history remembers him for in this fantastic issue of the below-the-radar Image book.
Grecian is an earnest and talented writer. Rasputin, the actual historical figure, is someone I would never want to meet, the mad monk people called him not so affectionately. Rasputin, the hero at the center of this story, is someone I would gladly follow to the winter palace and back. He’s a gentle, careful man. One who holds great power but lives in fear of his certain end. For a psychotic mad man, he’s pretty relatable written by Grecian. Especially so, when he’s saving illness stricken Alexi, the famous hemophiliac heir to the Russian throne. The intro and outro to this issue are muddled and a little more than confusing unless you’re paying close attention to the intricacies of this story, but the middle part, depicting Rasputin as a cautious hero, is inspiried.
Rossmo and Plascencia do their best here, too. Those first few images (included in this review) are raw, shaking and memorable. I’m absolutely amazed by Rossmo’s ability to perfectly capture absolute horror, grit, innocence and happiness all in one issue. These are talented artists, so much so that the knack that this book has for telling stories only with images isn’t cumbersome but is instead interesting and rewarding.
As we move more and more into the real life events that Rasputin is known for, I’m confident that these creators can tell a moving and rewarding story so long as they hone the backstory or flash-forward elements even just a little bit more. History hasn’t been this fun for me in a long, long time.
Writer: Alex Grecian
Artists: Riley Rossmo & Ivan Plascencia
Publisher: Image
As Rasputin nears his inevitable end, he feels more alive than ever. So does this comic.
Grecian and Rossmo, the driving creative force behind this comic humanize Rasputin more than ever before and bring him one step closer to the infamous stuff history remembers him for in this fantastic issue of the below-the-radar Image book.
Grecian is an earnest and talented writer. Rasputin, the actual historical figure, is someone I would never want to meet, the mad monk people called him not so affectionately. Rasputin, the hero at the center of this story, is someone I would gladly follow to the winter palace and back. He’s a gentle, careful man. One who holds great power but lives in fear of his certain end. For a psychotic mad man, he’s pretty relatable written by Grecian. Especially so, when he’s saving illness stricken Alexi, the famous hemophiliac heir to the Russian throne. The intro and outro to this issue are muddled and a little more than confusing unless you’re paying close attention to the intricacies of this story, but the middle part, depicting Rasputin as a cautious hero, is inspiried.
Rossmo and Plascencia do their best here, too. Those first few images (included in this review) are raw, shaking and memorable. I’m absolutely amazed by Rossmo’s ability to perfectly capture absolute horror, grit, innocence and happiness all in one issue. These are talented artists, so much so that the knack that this book has for telling stories only with images isn’t cumbersome but is instead interesting and rewarding.
As we move more and more into the real life events that Rasputin is known for, I’m confident that these creators can tell a moving and rewarding story so long as they hone the backstory or flash-forward elements even just a little bit more. History hasn’t been this fun for me in a long, long time.
A Look Inside
