John Wick (Vol. 1)

John Wick (volume 1, issues 1-5) (see below for preview images)

Created by Derek Kolstad
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Giovanni Valletta (issues 1-2), Matt Gaudio (issues 3-5)
Letters by Tom Napolitano
Collection Cover by Giovanni Valletta
 
I initially just grabbed this on a whim without looking through it, thinking it was a John Wick graphic novel. Turns out it’s a trade paper of issues 1-5.  Not that that’s a bad thing.  I was more or less expecting a graphic novel version of the movie.  But this turned out to be different than expected.
 
First of all, it contains issues 1-5.  It’s a gorgeous hardcover that might even be a great collector piece because of the artwork.  The artwork truly is fantastic.  In the back of the book are all the original covers and alternate covers, each one very well done.  However, I think the best usage of color is that which is used to emphasize the violent scenes containing blood, fire, explosions, etc. 
 
Second, still with a basic revenge plot, it seems that this storyline is possibly a prequel to the movie.  John Wick is seeking justice for the desecration and destruction of a little village he lived in as a child.  Whatever happened to this village caused the deaths of pretty much everyone in the village, including whoever Wick loved or cared about.  He even witnessed the destruction first-hand.  It is this drive for vengeance that marks his initiation into “The Continental” and the business of such membership.
 
Also, there are two badass female villains in the story.  These chicks are powerful, independent and heavy duty killer characters.
 
I got through this whole book, all five issues, in one sitting, no breaks.  The series is very well written and grabs your attention immediately.  There’s action, blood and violence on almost every page, making it chocked full of just the kind of bone breaking and blood spilling we love about John Wick.  I do think this is a series I am going to prefer reading in trade rather than in single issues so I’m going to get the next trade when I find it.  And I think any action fan or fan of fighting and blood will like this series.  Because there’s a lot of both.  And the fight scenes/panels are very well done.  So it’s definitely worth getting and reading.
 
RATINGS
Overall 4.5/5
Artwork 4/5
Story 5/5

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