The Good
In the end of this arc, Rasputin heads to a camp to heal some soldiers. However, things don't always go according to plan.
RASPUTIN is a series that works really well, issue to issue, but as a whole complete piece, at least for this first volume, it's utterly brilliant. The way writer Alex Grecian and artist Riley Rossmo, with Ivan Plascencia on colors, weave history and fiction together with one of Russia's most infamous characters is simply wonderful.
The book opens up with a few pages of war. We have men stabbing others in battle and planes dogfighting with each other. It's a bleak but great way to open up the issue and it really sets the tone for the rest of the book. Grecian and Rossmo take the reader along for the ride and Rasputin tries to do some good in the time of need by healing folks, but as the series has stated in the past, it takes its toll on him and a piece of what he heals becomes part of him for a moment or two.
This all leads to this fantastic ending where Rasputin's future is completely unknown and it's followed by a few extra page doubts himself and his own power. The rough part is we have to wait a few months before knowing what happens next, but this is one brutal and beautiful ending to this first volume.
The pacing of this book is what sets it apart from others. RASPUTIN has this undeniable flow to it as it moves from scene to scene that reflects the magic contained within its main character. That's what makes this ending work extremely well, which I will not spoil here, is that it's unexpected and yet completely expected at the same time. As always, Rossmo and Plascencia deliver some gorgeous artwork. Rossmo's distinctive style is part of what makes the flow for this book so great, especially in those opening pages.
The Bad
We have to wait until June for the next volume, THE RISE OF RASPUTIN? I'm impatient and want more now though!
The Verdict
It's a complete bummer than the next chapter/volume of RASPUTIN is months away, since this ends at a pretty weird place where you'd want to keep on reading, but overall, this was one of the best issues of this volume. Grecian and Rossmo deliver yet another fantastic issue. I highly suggest picking this up in trade or buying the single issues. It really is a hidden gem at Image Comics.