Until I began doing some research for this review, I had absolutely no idea that Revelations is a re-print of a six-issue miniseries that was originally published by Dark Horse Comics in 2005. Which is surprising, because I love Humberto Ramos. I loved his work on Spectacular Spider-Man, DV8, Runaways, and even his vampire comic Crimson. His style is one of the most unique in the industry, and I find him sorely underused. Which is why, when I saw his name on the cover of Revelations #1 at my local comic shop, I picked it up with no prior knowledge.
In Revelations, writer Paul Jenkins crafts the story of the death of Cardinal William Richelieu on the grounds of the Vatican. Although the case seems cut-and-dry when ruled a suicide, Cardinal Marcel Leclair recruits his long-time friend, Scotland Yard investigator and self-proclaimed “prolapsed Catholic” Charlie Northern to take a look at the case. I am a bit curious why a Scotland Yard investigator is allowed any jurisdiction in Vatican City, but I’ll just let that one go for now.
Charlie Northern’s acerbic, chain-smoking, conspiracy-theory-loving detective plays a lot like a cross between Robert Langdon and John Constantine, in a very good way. He’s not as unlikable as Constantine nor as pretentious as Langdon, so it’s easy to get caught up in his distaste for his former religion and its trappings when he gets dragged to the seat of its power. Northern is really the only fleshed-out character in the first issue, and he’s surrounded by a somewhat one-dimensional supporting cast. I expect to see more from characters like Marcel and the antagonist Cardinal Toscianni, but the focus of issue one was squarely on Charlie.
The plotline plays much like a Dan Brown novel, as well – a crime thriller with a religious focus and high-conspiracy underpinnings. I’m glad I get to go into it without any knowledge of the previous publication, because it looks to be a fun ride.
And oh man, the artwork.
I’ll preface this by saying that if you already don’t like Ramos’s style, you’re not going to like it here. This book is VERY Humberto Ramos, but with a twist. In much the same way that Matteo Scalera’s art is transformed by Dean White’s painterly colors in Rick Remender’s new book Black Science, the coloring team of Leonardo Olea and Edgar Delgado take Ramos’s lines and create an entirely original look, dominated by pastels and colored pencil style sketch lines. The result is, while thoroughly steeped in Ramos’s exaggerated figure construction, a stunning and different direction for his art. This book looks absolutely fabulous.
The relative lack of information about the original publication may very well be why Boom! Studios chose to reprint it, especially with the talent attached. Although, it might also generate the question “Why reprint this?”. It’s rare for a company to re-serialize a book when they acquire it, so maybe they’re attempting to reach a wider audience and build hype prior to continuing the series beyond this first 6-issue arc. At least, that’s what I can hope.
I don’t know how the original print run sold, or even how many copies were printed, but I’m hoping it turns out to be a hit for Boom! Studios. I really enjoyed this first issue and love the potential it sets up. If you’re not turned off by a story set in the Vatican and all that that entails, go pick this one up.
