The other day I read through an unexpected surprise in the form of a Warhammer 40K comic book that was handled by Marvel publishing. It was the first I had seen from the franchise, and I really didn't understand why it wasn't something that had already been thoroughly explored given the sheer scale of Warhammer's fanbase as well as its depth in lore. The comic I read focused on the Sisters of Battle. A group of battle-hardened women that dish out violence upon those who commit heresy against the Emperor. In that story, it explored the sisters themselves and what their general group actually does. It wasn't the best comic out there, but it was a nice introduction to just a small fraction of what the Warhammer 40K franchise entails. These comics were released a few years ago and I think it was actually a good time to be releasing with the quality of comics that now exists. Finishing that story on the Sisters of Battle, I read that there were a few other comics based on different comics and characters that were released around the same time, also published by Marvel. I don't know if this was part of some promotional event alongside another type of release within the franchise, be it a game, book, or something more. But that's the general impression I have been getting. No stories too deep, nothing that warrants additional releases of the comic. Just a limited run of a handful of volumes to quickly tell a story and go.
I don't know a whole lot about the character of Marneus Calgar, but I do know a little bit from reading up on the character here and there over the years. I think everyone with a tiny bit of knowledge over the Space Marines and their brutality in war. Recently there was a sequel to a Warhammer game specifically dedicated to the Space Marines, and the Space Marines are some of the most recognised characters within the franchise. While the lore behind Marneus Calgar is deep and far too much for me to know and write about here, I went in with a little bit of knowledge over the fact that his character is the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, which is a different segment entirely. These are effectively the leaders behind the Space Marines, the ones that control much of the armies in battle for the Imperium. Yet another faction that dedicates itself to the Emperor, a God-like individual that is pretty much not human at this point. A leader that sits eternally upon a throne with pretty much zero mobility. His body effectively dead, with his mind powered with the sacrifice of thousands of souls per day. Yeah, with quick summaries over the Warhammer 40K lore, you can already tell that this a series of stories with deep, over-the-top levels of science fiction and fantasy mixed together. And so far I absolutely love it. Anyway, that's a quick background on Marneus Calgar, being just another pawn in the greater scheme of things, a military man delegated power over a group of elite super soldiers.
After reading the comic on the Sisters of Battle, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one. I knew it had a different art style, and I half expected it to be so vastly different that I wouldn't be able to manage. I was fortunately quite wrong, and this comic starts off incredibly strong: from the very first panel we're seeing the fast-paced action and gore. The ruthlessness of battle, and the constant state of war that comes with the bloodshed of heretics. One thing is promised: the repetition of a bolt fired upon another, the bolt leading to its victim with such precision that it's almost poetic, a form of fate. It reaches, leading very little left of the unfortunate soul. There's no remorse. There's no emotion. It continues. With all the blood and gore, it's an incredibly strong introduction that pulls us in. That immediate scenes of horror that is felt from watching the Space Marines deal such actions upon others with zero remorse definitely makes things more immersive, but it also gives us a perspective of a faction and set of characters that aren't really to be considered heroes of any sort, there isn't really justification given to us that they're technically the good guys here, and I really liked that from the start.
I think this is something that is often missing from the realm of comics, where it's harder to find a person that you can connect with a look up to, instead of heroes and saviour protagonists, we're just seeing another side of that brutality. Some of the art style has a bit more of a cartoonish look to it which is an interesting contrast to the violent scenes. I don't mind this style, but it's definitely quite a different one to the previous comic I read. I like it though, it stands out to the rest, telling a different story so far with its own identity. I'm currently one volume into the five in total, and so far it has been one of constant bloodshed with snippets of back story. I have no idea where this could be heading, but my curiosity is there.
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STOPIs it cartoonish so they can stay M instead of being bumped to R because of all the gore? XD
@namiks, I'm refunding 0.283 HIVE and 0.082 HBD, because there are no comments to reward.