It’s Monday again. So why not start off your week right with some lasagna. Or, if you prefer, chilaquiles. I know I do. That’s a bold statement, I realize; but nothing beats good chilaquiles. I don’t care what Garfield says.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled comics discussion.
RUNLOVEKILL tells the story of a woman named Rain who wants a better life and must escape a fascist state that is building a wall around itself* to keep out its enemies. Her attempt at escape puts her in the sights of The Origami, the ruling military group. In this first trade, you learn little about Rain—a couple of glimpses of her past, but that’s it. What details are here are interesting and provide solid set-up, and I have no doubt that writers Jon Tsuei and Eric Canete have a clear, defined vision of their world.
When I picked this book up, it was because of the art. Canete’s lines have a frenetic, pliable feel to them, and his filmic layouts rely on image and action over dialogue and exposition. That helps with the pacing, especially in the book’s more fast-paced scenes. There were a few times that I did have to slow down and process how a crowded scene was unfolding, but that never became a big problem. And Leonardo Olea’s colors in this book blew me away; I’d love to see him work on a Green Lantern title.
Overall, there is a lot of good in RUNLOVEKILL. But it is hard for me to recommend its first volume without a caveat: this is half of a story. It does not say so anywhere in the book, but a little research told me RUNLOVEKILL is an eight-issue mini-series. Tsuei has provided updates through social media to indicate that the back half of the story is still coming, and I suspect that once it’s out, it will be a solid recommendation.
*I know what you’re thinking, but this predates that, if barely.
Collected in
- RUNLOVEKILL, Volume One (#1-4)
Credits
Writers: Jon Tsuei, Eric Canete | Artist: Eric Canete | Colorist/Letterer/Designer: Leonardo Olea | Covers: Manu Fernandez