Deathrage #1: Retail Edition is a comic written by Murphey with Aaron Sparrow with art by Emiliano Urdinola and James Silvani. A man becomes a mercenary and eventually loses all sense of his identity. This is the origin story of the very expressive antihero Deathrage. The main character is a former soldier named Mark who decided to try a different career path and it does not go how he thought. We also see Leonidas, the leader of the Spartans, and Teddy, a man with a mask and some very special elixir. The plot goes back and forth giving us a look at Deathrage in the past and present so we get a more rounded view of his character and how all these events have affected him. We also get more backstory surrounding Leonidas and the Spartans as a whole. The action gets bloody, gory, and body parts end up where they shouldn’t. The dialogue is very Deadpoolesque with the overall unseriousness from Deathrage but the key difference is that Deathrage is much more erratic and less contained. This comic really only gets wordy on one expositiony page but most of the conversations here are realistic so the words just roll off the page. This is a great first issue that will have you emotionally invested in how things turn out for Deathrage and those around him.

            This comic boasts some top notch modern art, with high amounts of detail while not looking too smooth. This comic has an overall dark tone but has a wide array colors. The majority of this story takes place in alleyways and office buildings so don’t expect to draw too much from the backgrounds. The expression level here is above-average and the mask is very animated; sometimes literally. Faces look great and are drawn with a high amount of detail and it helps the emotions get across clearly and makes the characters seem more alive. Also not going unnoticed is the nice variety of hairstyles shown. There is a decent array of weapons here from whips to swords with a more ancient style. The effects whether electrical, mystical, or burning look great. The action scenes are normally lengthy and range from simple blows to dismemberment. The fight flow is top notch. From skintight combat gear to armor reminiscent of the Ancient Greeks to just plain old suits, this comic touches bases not even in the game. A few of the outfits on both the men and women are a bit more revealing than they should be for combat, but besides one joke about a character there isn’t much in the way of sexualization.

            Now you might be curious as to the difference between the Kickstarter and Retail Editions of these comics and it is actually pretty easy to explain. The Kickstarter Edition is like a good yellow cake, and the Retail Edition is the same cake with chocolate frosting and a glass of milk. This issue gives us a well-rounded look at Deathrage and doesn’t just paint him as a skilled, goofy killer. We get a look at his inner struggles, his relationship with his daughter, and how things used to be between him and Leonidas. We also get a look at additional Spartans that weren’t in the Kickstarter Edition. All these additions and deeper dives make this comic even more interesting and add an extra layer of depth to a character that on the surface might have seemed one-dimensional.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like violent stories starring super folk and a lack of control with ancient influences and spying with a dash of comedy this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

R. For language and overall blood and gore.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“…can somebody for the luvva God stop me?!”

 

Purchase Link: https://mercpublishing.com/collections/retail-editions/products/deathrage-1

Unboxing Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKNu19yR-OY

Unboxing Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09BtikvJjwY

 

***** I received this review copy for free. *****

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 31

Violent Pages: 15, for 48% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 4

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 4

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 2

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 1

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”