The World War 2 setting is a popular background for a gritty, dark and twisted depiction of humanity and the human spirit against insurmountable odds. But trust me when I say, this story isn’t necessarily one of those instances. Who is up for a twisted tale of violence, cussing, and plenty of bloodshed with an extra hint of time travel and sci-fi elements? I thought I’d get your attention with that. Well, I present to you The Revisionaries; a crazy group of misfits and psychos, as they travel back in time to lay waste to the Nazi battalions in their quest to kill Hitler and save the future. If only they paid attention in their history lessons. As well as Geography for that matter…
This tale begins with Private Malachi Ashkenkazy, a man who has survived many brutal battles of the warfront, but never actually through fighting in them or even wielding a gun. He usually survives them as an errand boy (or a human shield) so does not gain the respect of his peers even with a promotion in military rank, and his inability to fight quickly leads to him being captured and ready to be executed surrounded by enemy troops. When suddenly, the surrounding enemy soldiers are wiped out by an unknown flash in the sky and a team of murderous psychopaths appear, saving Ashkenkazy’s life in the process. They introduce themselves as The Revisionaries, a time travelling team sent back to kill Hitler. But they misjudged their destination of Germany by a few thousand miles, turning up in France with no plan and no sense of direction. One instance of shoot first and ask questions never, Ashkenkazy is forced into the gruelling task of helping them to fulfil their mission and generally attempt to keep them out of trouble, all the while a mysterious figure look on, planning their move…
Now the art style, brought to life by the hugely talented Nico Sucio, is definitely this book’s selling point and the rather generous amount of violent imagery that grace these pages are grim to witness but mesmerising all the same. From the opening page of a soldier having a bullet greeting the head of a soldier, the cartoon violence and over the top gore is maintained throughout our story. The character designs are also unique and easily recognisable, as each character overemphasises certain features in an almost caricaturist nature. From Ashkenkazy’s wild bushy hair to Bruce and his roid rage muscular physique and blockhead intellect, each character set their style and niche quite well so you know quickly who you love and who you root for. And with Andrew Adams setting the story and the script, the dialogue exchanges between these characters are highly kinetic and leads with great comical effect. Combine that with strong facial expressions and you have a story that overflows with humour, violence and just a hint of absurdity that kept me hooked in its brief introduction.
In summary, the first instalment of The Revisionaries sets the pace quite well and is fairly simple to understand and get to grips with. The characters are introduced in a comical tone that is maintained in the story and the violence is so over the top you can’t help but admire every twisted detail on display. The only question is what further time altering events are this band of psychotic rogues about to unleash? Well, as it seems only fitting, only time will tell…
Have you had the chance to read The Revisionaires? If you could travel in back in time, where would you go? Sound off in the comments or send us your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter!
