Review Shooter: Mass Effect: Invasion 1

Story: Mac Walters
Script: John Jackson Miller
Art: Omar Francia
(Review by Mario Zetter) 

Being a fan of the Mass Effect series, and greatly anticipating the third installment, I was expecting something pretty great from this comic. The end result is something interesting enough that makes me want to see what happens next, but didn’t have me on the edge of my seat.
The comic begins with a short paragraph explaining the current situation, with references to organizations and characters that appeared in the Mass Effect games. While it serves to establish the current setting of the comic, it doesn’t really highlight exactly what these things are for a new reader. Still, the story can be understood well enough for someone just jumping into the Mass Effect universe.
The majority of what you see here is action, and more action. By the second and third pages, we’ve got guns blazing, and it continues throughout the comic. There’s really only a couple characters established here, and there’s not enough time with them to get a sense of who they are or what their intentions are, although the character of Aria T’ Loak is still a badass. There is a somewhat interesting twist in the story about midway through, though I feel like I’ve seen this particular mechanic used countless other times. Some of the dialogue also had me smirking, though it felt out of place. I’m also a fan of endings that give you holy-sh*t moments, though that is missing here.  Still, the action here is enjoyable enough, and the story seems like it is going somewhere.
The art is nice, with lots of great color usage that I thought really made the action and characters come alive. There is plenty of detail everywhere. In particular, the enemies (called adjutants) look awesome and look very menacing.
New Reader Accessibility: 4 – This is a pretty easy comic to get into and the story seems self-contained enough to enjoy without any prior knowledge, though no doubt will be more enjoyable for those with knowledge of all the existing characters and terminology.
Recommendation: Buy It – If you’re a new to the Mass Effect universe, this will most likely be an enjoyable read, though I recommend picking it up if you are already a fan.

Earl Rufus

The owner of this little chunk of the internet. Enjoys having a good time and being rather snarky!

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1 Response

  1. Jillian says:

    Mass Effect franchise is died with the first episode.
    Walters has proven (me2, comics) not to being able to continue the heritage of the great D.K.

    Mass Effect 2 was a plot less and mediocre corridor shooters with dialogue cutscene.
    Mass Effect 3 will be a mediocre Gear in Space.

    It is terrible to see what BiowEA has done to this great franchise that for me started and ended with the glorious and unique first episode.

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