Artifacts #35 Review

The event book turned monthly universe intersection continues to barrel forward, but should devoted followers really care? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

TOP COW’S THIRD 2012 TALENT HUNT-WINNING WRITER DEBUTS!

Mercenary Michael Finnegan just can’t catch a break. Whether he is running guns or stealing mystical Artifacts for hire, all of his clients seem to double-cross him in the end…especially when he is paid to face-off against Ember Stone bearer Glorianna Silver!

The background players get some time in the spotlight, as this outing brings a fan favorite to the fore. It’s true that I’ve had a soft spot for this protagonist since Broken Trinity, and despite him not having his unique item or the memories the come with it, I have to say I was really impressed with how the former wielder handled himself. Same goes for this fresh creative team.

Hannibal Tabu tackles the Top Cow universe, and he does so with a fair amount of style. The newly minted author has a firm grasp on all the various characters, and in truthfully a lot of them are given a very light stereotypical rendition but Michael Finnegan is given the full three dimensions. It’s a hard balancing act to walk in with an ongoing narrative that already has a built in history but for the most things are kept straight and narrow.

Nelson Blake II and Mike Oeming handle the art and both bring their own respective styles to the source material. If you were to compare them you could say that each are highly unique and perform with a minimalist display. That said the transition between the two is rather abrupt, causing minor fatigue as one version of this visual component clashes with the other. To sum up: the illustrations are a bit of a mixed package that left me with some differing reactions.

Artifacts #35 is an entertaining entry that does a lot of things right. Even so it’s not as strong as it could be and I wish only one person penciled it, but it still earns a recommendation from me nonetheless.