Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s polarizing anti-hero Nemesis returns this week in Nemesis: Reloaded. Backed by superstar artist Jorge Jiménez, the series aims to bring back the character in the same way characters like Batman and James Bond get refreshers. It succeeds, partly because the action is so clean and exciting, but also because there seems to be a larger purpose for the character than in the previous four-issue story arc.
Nemesis: Reloaded opens with an introduction by Millar himself that explains why the series is returning now and recounts the incredible success of the first series. It adds some helpful context for anyone expecting a straight-up sequel or a story that connects to the previous four-issue run.
The new series opens with an old man on his front porch. He holds a shotgun and soon tells his wife what she heard was nothing. In an incredibly well laid out page, we see the wife shaking she’s so afraid, the old man confused, the woman’s eyes in shock, and Nemesis below her under the bed. It works as a single page of art, but it efficiently tells a tense story within the story. They may seem like friendly old folks, but they’re about to get blasted by Nemesis.
Smash cut to Los Angeles, where a mobster discusses Quentin Tarantino. The pop culture references and in-jokes about making such jokes in media are entertaining. Millar knows what his fans want and delivers in this bit, even if it’s a total aside unrelated to Nemesis or the larger story. It’s a little self-serving, but then again, there’s a charm in the wink and nod to the audience.
Image Comics
Every page is dripping with visual quality thanks to Jiménez and color artist Giovanna Niro. The yellows in the opening scene create tension, while the purples and blues create a sense of the super-cool lifestyles of the gangster we’re focusing on. Atmospheric and well-paced storytelling is afoot here, primarily because of the art. That doesn’t even touch on the action, which features Nemesis’s muscular but long body, like an Olympic athlete’s. He’s like a dancer in the fight scenes, slicing off heads and kicking two people in mid-air with one leg thrust.
If you don’t like cops, you’ll dig the message this book is going for, at least what Nemesis’s plan seems to be aiming at. You can start to guess his end game, but so far, most of his plan keeps you in the dark. We only know he’s targeting mobsters and then using them to target cops. Whether or not he’s pure evil–possibly disgustingly so, as he was in the original series–remains to be seen. That’s where the narrative seems to have a bigger message to relate to readers, which could be a reimagining of the character in a sense. Then again, maybe Nemesis is a bastard and enjoys killing mobsters and cops alike.
There’s no mistaking Nemesis: Reloaded is the best-looking superhero book on the stands this week. Visually speaking, it’s gorgeous, exciting, and at times stunning. Underneath the gorgeous art is a violent story Millarworld fans won’t want to miss.
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