20th Apr2018

‘Assassin’s Creed: Uprising #10’ Review (Titan Comics)

by Dean Fuller

Written by Alex Paknadel, Dan Watters | Art by Jose Holder | Published by Titan Comics

Assassins_Creed_Uprising_10_Cover

Seems like an age since the last time I reviewed this book, which is probably a good thing as it allows a reviewer to regain a little perspective. Although the book as a whole I like, I was getting a little picky with details here and there, so will be interesting to see if I was getting a little over critical, not critical enough, or getting it just about right. I’ve been a bit Assassin’s Creed absorbed of late, playing the games and reading some of the novels, so reviewing this issue is a bit of a busmen’s holiday as well.

Can’t remember everything that’s going on since the last review? Me neither, so time for a swift recap. The central premise of this book has been the rise of The Instruments of the First Will, a third group in the ongoing struggle for control of precursor technology previously only conducted by the Assassins and the Templars. This new group is made up of defectors from both Assassins and Templars and fanatically loyal to Juno, one of the precursor race, and her vision of a New World Order. Although the Assassins and Templars remain firmly in opposition to each other, Master Templar Otso Berg and Master Assassin Charlotte De La Cruz have teamed up, realising this threat to very dangerous to both sides. Both this uneasy alliance and the First Will have been in a race to find the Koh-i-Noor, a powerful Piece of Eden that could turn the tide.

The growing level of chaos is perfectly illustrated in the first six pages, where My’Shell thinks she’s guarding traitor Guernica until the mission returns. Guernica calmly informs her the hideout is compromised, no one will be returning, and if she wants to survive she needs to run. Now. She wisely does. We switch to Spain, where Berg and Charlotte are fighting Assassin traitor Jasdip Singh for the Koh-i-Noor. That is, with all guns blazing as the groups converge in a bloody battle for the jewel. By battle’s end, Singh has the gem, escaping by helicopter. Not good. Meanwhile Guernica is finding he is now regarded as a loose end by his side, and is only saved from execution by My’Shell’s return.

None of this will be filling anyone with confidence if they are not rooting for Juno’s side. They are gaining superiority in the field, they now have the Koh-i-Noor, and Juno is asserting herself more and more in the real world. Throw in the Phoenix Project, and you can pretty much stick a fork in the Assassins and Templars as they are done. What’s the Phoenix Project you ask? It’s a way to grow, in a super fast way, a clone body from Sage precursor DNA, and then allow Juno to inhabit it. A real resurrection, one that will bring the end of the world. No pressure, Charlotte and Berg.

I moderately liked, but certainly didn’t love, this issue. It felt a little rushed to me, and consisted of a whole lot of huffing and puffing for very little payback. It felt like half an issue of story padded out. Plots were advanced, but as a whole it felt very scrappy, and pretty confusing for anyone picking up this book for the first time. I was confused at times, and it’s only been a few weeks for me. Art wise, I’ve not been Jose Holder’s biggest fan, and that opinion hasn’t changed. Although the loose, scratchy style suited the chaos of the fight scenes, it doesn’t suit the quieter scenes, being a little loose and messy to do justice to the script. in fact, at times it distracts away from the text. Throw in the fact that some pages just have too many panels, and it’s an unsatisfactory package all round.

This not a bad book, and these are certainly not bad creators, but this issue just felt a little off for me. Assassin’s Creed is such a strong franchise that it stands out when the work is a little sub-par. Hoping for better next time round.

**½  2.5/5

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