From the hit Sniper Elite video games series, Rebellion Comics is releasing the first of three issues telling an exciting new story set in World War II as American OSS agent, Karl Fairburne, uses his skills on a mission which will take him deep into occupied territory. Let’s check out the action in Sniper Elite: Resistance #1 from Rebellion Comics.

SNIPER ELITE: RESISTANCE #1 (of 3) REVIEW

Script: Keith Richardson
Art: Patrick Goddard
Colorist: Quinton Winter
Letters: Jim Campbell
Cover: Patrick Goddard & Quinton Winter
Publisher: Rebellion
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 29, 2018

Previously in Sniper Elite: Since it was first introduced in 2008, the Sniper Elite series has graced nine different gaming systems and been the inspiration for a spinoff called the Zombie Army Trilogy. While the mythology of the series has been explored in novel and short story form, this is the first time they have ventured into the four-color world of comics.

DEATH FROM AFAR

Before he found himself parachuting into occupied France, Karl Fairburne was enjoying a pint at a London pub, hoisting one to absent friends. It is here that Marie Gaunt, Major Newman’s secretary, finds him and delivers a message, he is to report to S.O.E. (Special Operations Executive) HQ right away. We find that Marie is British by marriage, French by birth, and she has a sister in the Occupied Zone. In no time, Karl finds himself parachuting into enemy territory with the mission to assist the resistance fighters in capturing a new anti-aircraft weapon which will be shipped to Paris by rail.

Meeting up with his contacts, French Resistance fighters D’Anton and Elyse, they begin the journey to Angoulême to complete the mission. It isn’t long before Fairburne is suspected of being a German agent and is knocked out by one of the very fighters he is supposed to be helping. What follows is a dream of his childhood, and friends long gone, and enemies made. When he awakens, he begins a fight for his life that will bring old memories into the present, and old grudges into view.

GOOD WORLD WAR TWO ACTION

Keith Richardson (editor, Rebellion) set us up with a classic tale of men-at-war, set in a world which most all only know from late night movies and video games. We watch as Karl Fairburn, the protagonist of the Sniper Elite series, drops into enemy territory and uses his formidable skills in ways that anyone familiar with the video game series would know. Richardson has a solid feel for the time period, from his use of the historically accurate version of the pub ditty Henry the VII to the dialogue of the time. He fills out the voice of Fairburn admirably and makes the character’s voices seem realistic.

Likewise, Patrick Goddard (2000 AD) has a realistic style of art that lends to the time period. Era-specific clothing, vehicles, weapons and even hairstyles leave you with the feeling that you may be looking at stills from a time gone by rather than art produced in 2018. It’s the little things that you notice, soldiers with woolen gloves with the fingers cut out, a barrette in a woman’s well-groomed hair, even a woman wearing slacks that are not skin tight. It isn’t obvious, but it stops you from being pulled out of the page by erroneous elements that are inappropriate for the time period. When the action starts, Goddard does not shy away from the gore. This is a story told in a time of war, when the bullets fly the blood flows. Here is where Quinton Winters () colors come in. While his gore is a mixture of bright reds and deep blacks, the prevailing colors of fabric are muted, and the surroundings have depth. It all combines to form very realistic images which help tell the story and hold their time period well.

BOTTOM LINE: MORE THAN JUST A GAME INSPIRED TITLE

Video game inspired comics are common. I myself have reviewed many since my return to the Major Spoilers staff, and they vary in not only their quality but their devotion to the subject matter they cover. With this title, Richardson and Goddard have a setting which is based on World War II conflict, but they do not phone it in. They set up and tell a story which is reminiscent of the great war films and spy dramas which are so prevalent but manage to hold their own in adapting the subject matter to the original story. It is of interest to note that Rebellion Developments released the first Sniper Elite title for the original Xbox, PlayStation 2, Wii, and Windows back in the bygone days of 2005, and it is a division of that very same Rebellion which now brings the adventure to the comic book format today.

Sniper Elite: Resistance #1 continues the Rebellion tradition of bringing excellent stories and art not only to their home consumers in the UK but all across the world. Fans of the game will enjoy the action and revealing story, and comic readers, in general, will have action and adventure worthy of the great war titles of days gone by.

[taq_review]

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