Comic Book Review: Renato Jones: The One% #2
The Freelancer dishes out loads of “restitution” for the patrons of the Chamber’s Masquerade Ball and we learn a little more about Renato’s relationship with Mr. Church in Kaare Kyle Andrews’ [easyazon_link identifier=”B01DJOSEH4″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Renato Jones: The One% #2[/easyazon_link].
[easyazon_image align=”center” height=”500″ identifier=”B01DJOSEH4″ locale=”US” src=”http://boundingintocomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/51CnvsDLqL.jpg” tag=”bounintocomi-20″ width=”325″]
If you have yet to read issue #1, Renato Jones: The One% tells the story of an orphaned boy who, after being rescued from an Indonesian prison by the mysterious Mr. Church, assumes the persona of Renato Jones, a child whose wealthy parents were killed during an apparent home invasion years earlier and whom is presumed dead himself, though the child’s body is never recovered. Now an adult, Renato, under the guise of The Freelancer, wages a one-man war against the super-rich, commonly referred to as “the 1%”.
Issue #2 picks up the action (emphasis on the word action) right where issue #1 left off. Renato assumes the identity of his first victim to gain access to a hedonistic masquerade ball attended by the rich and powerful, including a Donald Trump-like character named Christopher Baal who is introduced in the opening pages of the book. After indulging himself with a few of the “working girls” in attendance, Renato is led deep into the bowels of the building for what the host refers to as an “exceptional experience”…and that’s when the shit really hits the fan. The ensuing bloodbath is reminiscent of Beatrix’s battle with The Crazy 88 in Kill Bill Vol. 1 (yea, it’s that good).
Renato Jones: The One% is angry, violent and unapologetic…and that’s what makes it great. Kaare Kyle Andrews is nearly a one man show on this title – writing, drawing and coloring the book. Those familiar with his work at Marvel (including iconic characters such as Spider-Man, X-Men, and Iron Fist) will not be disappointed. The artwork is brilliant, jumping between stark black and white images to pages of vibrant color. Flashbacks are especially impressive – gritty and dark, with impressions across the pages that look as though the memories had been put on paper, then folded up and placed in one’s back pocket. It’s through these flashbacks that we learn a little more about the mentor / mentee relationship between Church and Renato…and some may begin to question whether Renato is really the driving force behind this war against the elite, or merely a tool, honed and wielded by Church.
The dialogue, while mostly internal as the title character self-narrates the story, is a bit of a roller coaster. Though most of the time it is witty and fast-paced, there are moments where it becomes a bit slow and mundane. Still, the visual presentation of the story is so impressive, the artwork alone is more than enough to carry the reader through these vernacular valleys.
The Verdict
[easyazon_link identifier=”B01DJOSEH4″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Renato Jones: The One% #2[/easyazon_link] isn’t for everyone. It’s exceptionally violent and contains its fair share of gratuitous nudity. Plus, the central theme of class warfare is polarizing and is delivered with a fairly heavy hand…but with Andrews’ heavy hand providing the pictures, political commentary never looked so good.
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