This is a world where bounty hunters have the authority to hunt down lycan criminals and keep them from getting too powerful. What happens when an assassin sets out to upset that balance in Unbound #1 by Zenescope Entertainment!

UNBOUND #1 (OF 5)

Writer: Ralph Tedesco
Artist: Oliver Borges
Colorist: Leonardo Paciarotti
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Editor: Rachel Bishop
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 23rd, 2918

Previously on Unbound: The Ether is a unique world where lycan criminals rule the underbelly and must be kept in check. Bounty Hunters pick up contracts to track these criminals and destroy them. Lukas has been at this bounty hunting gig for a long time and has developed a name for himself. Where will his next adventure take him?

AN AUGMENTED REALITY

Lukas is one well known bounty hunter whose names gives him perks and fame. Heading to his next job, Lukas finds that he is being stalked by Marna, a female bounty hunter with pink hair. Lukas hunts down Cain, a lycanthrope criminal mind and they begin their confrontation while Marna provides cover fire. Pulling a trick out of his sleeve, Lukas surrounds Cain in a silver covering and is about to plunge his sword for the killing blow. However, before he is able to succeed he is stabbed by Marna who steals the kill and takes the bounty from him. Real world Lukas then wakes up from his virtual reality chair and it is revealed that Ether is just a game.

Meanwhile, another bounty hunter enters a brothel in Ether and is looking for a man known as Onyx. After killing the receptionist, this hunter finds Onyx and they engage in battle. When Onyx loses the fight, before the killing blow the hunter states that the rules of the game have changed and Onyx’s real world counterpart is dead.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT I THINK

I picked this up because of the cover art. I have been craving a good cyberpunk story and was disappointed when this proved to be a virtual reality story instead. I admit that the twist of the world of Ether being a video game caught me off guard and the writers set up the surprise perfectly. I spent my second read through trying to figure out if there was any foreshadowing. The only aspect that I could see is the way people treat each other. They treat each other as if they are not real people and that is because they are not. It then turns Lukas from the cool bounty hunter with an attitude to a kid who is a jerk. It is an interesting idea that sheds new light on Lukas’ actions and dialogue. I think this is a coming of age story where Lukas realizes the game has a real threat and he has to become a hero to save it.

I often think what a world is like when you don’t have obviously consequences. I used to play a lot of competitive online games like Overwatch and League of Legends and was turned off by how offended people became when you weren’t playing to a person’s expectations. To be fair, I am generally average at video games but they doesn’t excuse how some people approach the people who play the game. When I see some of these conversations and actions of the characters of Unbound, I see that attitude in the modern gaming community.

The villain in this comic book is a mysterious bounty hunter who can kill the character and the player. I wanted to touch on him at this moment because he wasn’t that compelling of a villain. Marna feels like a much more fleshed out and vivid antagonist but that is because our protagonist has met her. I hope that Marna isn’t just a throwaway character in this series in favor for the mysterious rule-bending enemy.

The art was very detailed and both the artist and the colorist did a great job in putting emphasis where it needs to be. I really enjoyed the colors of the background and how they changed from panel to panel. The amount of details on character’s faces was exceptionally vivid and you can tell their thoughts through their expressions. When it comes to science fiction and fantasy type worlds, it is always interesting to see how they interpret these settings. What hair do they have? What does a flying car look like? I think the interpretation by the artist and colorist did a fine job in making the world feel different than reality.

BOTTOM LINE: GOOD INTRODUCTION

While I was disappointed with the initial read through of the story, that doesn’t change the fact that it is actually a well crafted book. 4 out of 5 for Unbound #1 by Zenescope Entertainment.

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Unbound #1

80%

80%

Well Written

While I was disappointed with the initial read through of the story, that doesn’t change the fact that it is actually a well crafted book.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  9
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0