Admittedly I am not much of a video game player, I had hoped though that World of Tanks: Roll Out #1 would still be an entertaining comic book to read. Mostly, because author Garth Ennis was the one adapting the game for the comic book format.
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Ennis for anyone who doesn’t know is the author of one of the most beloved comic book series of all time– Preacher. That series also serves as the inspiration for the current Preacher television show that is on AMC.
Despite Ennis’ being attached to the book [easyazon_link identifier=”B01K5APE00″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]World of Tanks: Roll Out #1[/easyazon_link] was a very disappointing read, despite my high hopes. The plot on this one is thin, like wafer thin, and the characters are all equally unremarkable. I was hoping for that trademark wit that Ennis includes in many of his titles. The sort of wit that is weird, not politically correct in anyway, and makes you shoot milk out of your nose from reading it. None of that was present.
The comic book is set in World War II and flip flops between two tank units– a British tank unit and a German one. There is some dialogue, none of it really matters, and then the two units end up fighting.
I honestly am not sure how the plot of this comic will advance in future issues, and which characters I am meant to care about; because none of them were memorable at all.
Artwise, it was as equally disappointing as well. The art was done by Carlos Ezquerra, and frankly much like the script seemed sloppy. Googling Ezquerra’s work I see a lot of stuff I like, lots of black and white Judge Dredd images, weird monsters, etc. That work and the drawing done on this title look almost as if they are from separate artists.
Characters in some panels look to be out of proportion with one another. At times the details look rushed, and characters’ faces seemed smooshed together. The worst part though is all the characters look fairly generic. I couldn’t really follow along with who said what, because everyone basically wore the same clothes in both units.
Looking back at past war comics like Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos, as goofy and as unrealistic as that comic could be, its biggest advantage was the memorable cast of characters. Characters like Dum Dum Duggan and Nick Fury had their own looks that set them apart.
The only redeeming part of this comic really is the fact that it is World War II themed, and if you like historical comics and giant metal tanks smashing into one another, then I suppose this comic is for you.
The Verdict
[easyazon_link identifier=”B01K5APE00″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]World of Tanks: Roll Out #1[/easyazon_link] was actually a terrible comic, I pray that it gets better with the next issue. It suffers from a lack of memorable characters, uneven drawing, and a plot that seems to be thinner than any of the Transformers movies. If you like tanks, and them shooting at one another then this might be for you. Otherwise, I say your best bet is to pass on this one.