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REVIEW: Warlash: Bioburden
Book Title: Warlash: Bioburden
Book Description: Warlash is an armored warrior vigilante in an apocalyptic future. I would say he reminds me of a more powerful Judge Dredd only without a badge and less tech. Like many hero vigilantes, he’s trying to do the right thing and protect the innocent.
Warlash: Bioburden gives us two stories. In the first story, “Bioburden”, Warlash is going up against Bladeviper. Bladeviper is what you would get if you took Black Widow’s tactical training and skills and combined it with the mad scientist that is G.I. Joe’s Dr. Mindbender. She’s smart, outstanding in hand-to-hand combat, and has a warped sense of reality. In short, she’s everything you want in a comic book villain.
Bladeviper has taken a small piece of genetic material that wasn’t sterilized (which scientists call a bioburden) and created five Apt-Mutants. They’re aggressive and vicious and eager to take Warlash out of the game. Fortunately for Warlash, they don’t grasp the concept of teamwork and strategy and he’s able to dispatch them with ease.
Bladeviper, on the other hand, is not so easily defeated and captured. When she realizes she’s not going to win she resorts to using cunning to escape Warlash’s grasp…. For now.
The second story is called “The Coming of the Superior”. In this tale we meet a young boy named Pete. He’s in a hospital bed recovering from injuries. A detective comes into his room to ask what happened.
Pete tells the detective about a field trip his class was taking. The trip took a detour when a creature slammed into their bus. When Pete came to, he and his classmates were in a building.
In the building, they learned that a being called the Superior wanted to conduct experiments on them. He had his creature, Sklog, capture the children for that purpose.
Warlash comes on the scene and Sklog quickly gets the upper hand… Until Warlash starts hitting back. Then Sklog decides the fight isn’t worth the pain. At least until Warlash is fighting the Superior.
Warlash is outnumbered and outgunned. It doesn’t bode well for him until Pete intervenes. Pete blacked out after that and woke up in the hospital. He was injured, but he saved Warlash’s life. That makes Pete the true hero.
Book Author: Frank Forte, Jovan and Riste Sekuloski
Book Format: Paperback
Publisher - Orgnization: Asylum Press
Publisher Logo:
Illustrator: Jok and Riste Sekuloski
- Story(3.1)
- Interior Art(3)
- Cover Art(4.3)
- Dialogue(3)
- Mechanics(3)
- Editing(2.9)
Summary
I found both stories to be a quick read. They were packed with action and easy to fall into. I liked the character development with Bladeviper and Sklog. In their own ways, they are very relatable characters. I especially liked how we saw from Pete that anyone can be a hero.
The cover artwork for Warlash: Bioburden is incredible. It simultaneously promises action and suspense. It’s crisp. It’s vivid. It should be the cover for a video game or a movie poster.
With two different artists for two different stories, we got two different styles of artwork. Jok’s work presents itself very nicely. I would have liked to see a touch more detail on some panels. The Apt-Mutants were well done.
Sekuloski’s work reminds me of the early TMNT issues with Eastman and Laird. It’s incredibly detailed, especially on the large panel of the Superior. Somehow it comes across looking rough though. With some polish around the edges, I think we have an artist well on their way to greatness.
As a geek on a budget, I’m of the opinion that it’s hard to go wrong when you’re getting two good stories for under $4.00. One can pay more than that for a cup of coffee, and it won’t be around to enjoy after an hour or two. Advantage: Warlash: Bioburden!
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