Obey Me #0 - Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Mario Mentasti
Art by Ben Herrera
Colors by Emmanuel Ordaz Torres
Normally when you think of video games in comic books, the first titles that come to mind are Tomb Raider, Call of Duty or even Assassin's Creed. Big names with characters that even non-gamers would recognize. That sort of recognition has been starting to spread more and more in to indie gaming as well. Blowfish Studios and 404 Error Game Studios brought the struggle between Heaven and Hell to their new game Obey Me, and now, Dynamite is doing the same with comics.
The story follows a low-ranking demon named Vanessa who is working for Ammon, the Archduke of Greed. Her job is simple, collect the souls of those that sold their souls to him. We're not talking about Homer Simpson selling his soul for a doughnut here, these are bad people. Vanessa is a bit new at this, so Ammon sends a familiar along to help, a Hellhound named Monty. We actually get to see their first meeting, and it's safe to say that they weren't exactly fast friends. They also both have a different approach on how to get the job done. Taking down a Mafia Don should be easy enough, right? Well there was plenty of action once things got rolling, so that should tell you what the difficulty level was. We also get a chance to see what Vanessa can really do, and it makes you wonder how she is low ranking at all. Even Monty finds a new respect for her by the end of this. I feel like even teasing the ending may be a bit of a spoiler, so I'll just leave it at that.
I have to preface my thoughts by saying that I have not played the game yet. From what I have seen, it looks like a pretty legit indie game with good visuals and pretty straightforward. The story here did seem a bit random and that we were a bit thrown into this world. With this being a #0 issue, I did think that I would get a little bit more backstory and introduction, but it didn't feel that way. We do get a little bit of that, but not traditionally what you expect from a #0 title. The action sequences were pretty good, and gives you more of a close-up visual of the kind of things that you might see in the game itself. I feel like the art transferred pretty well onto the page, too. The styles are obviously different, but gave off a very hard edge vibe. I did like Vanessa and think she is certainly a character that can carry a story like this. Monty was a bit random, and definitely carries a bit of a loose cannon vibe. Characters like that can be hit or miss in the moment, and that's definitely how I felt. Having not played the game, I don't feel like I can really comment on whether or not things are being adapted from the game well. This is my first introduction into this world, and I think the same will be said for a lot of readers. While this title doesn't make me rush to go download the game right now, it has certainly made me interested enough to want to learn more. Books like this are why I have a three issue rule. I feel like the more story I get, the more I may like it as a whole. For now, I can't fully commit to Obey Me, but I'm not ready to send it to hell either.
RATING: PICK UP