The action takes a back seat in this issue as Luke Taylor fights for his life. Can he be saved in time?

Here’s the official description from Image Comics:

Death comes for every clone. For Luke Taylor, it’s just arrived sooner.

I’ve said it before, but Clone is one of the most underrated comics being published today. Creators David Shulner, Aaron Ginsburg, and Wade McIntyre have created a smart science fiction series about identity and perceptions, which has equal parts brains and brawn.

This issue cuts back and forth between Luke’s fight for survival and his wife’s imprisonment. She’s assigned a new guard who’s more let’s just say, “hands on”. Luckily, she has a guardian angel/protector. There’s also a brief heartfelt flash back to the moment she reveals she’s pregnant.

Once again, Jose Rypp proves that he can do more than draw kick ass action scenes. Take for example, the page where Luke’s wife is showering.  The page is divided into three slanted horizontal panels as if the page was divided by the jagged cut of a knife blade. In the first panel, we see the wife covering her private parts, while the sleazy guard sits crouched in a chair behind her. Rypp makes us feel her vulnerability. The guard says, “See, I’m not so bad.” In the second panel, we zoom in on the left side of her body. Her eyes are distant. The guard responds, “I’m gonna get you nice and clean.” The third panel, is a closeup as she lowers her head and closes her eyes in reaction to the guards words, “And then we’re gonna have some fun.” This page is both disturbing and effective due to the structure of Rypp’s panels, which evokes the violation of her privacy in such a way that is unique to the comic form.

Clone 8 is quieter and more personal than some of the previous issues, but it’s still a gripping read. I highly recommend you track down the first trade and get caught up on this great series, which features great story telling and some of the best art in comics today.

4/5