Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: André Lima Araújo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Rus Wooten
Publisher: Image
Price: $39.99
Release Date: July 19, 2023
Walking through Chinatown in the rain, Sonny Wen lets an older couple precede him onto a bus. While reading about a missing witness in a sex trafficking case, he maps out an address on his phone. Sonny disembarks only to bump into a man in the store and spill his purchases. He grows angry but quickly apologizes and helps the man repack his bag. Then he approaches the counter for more cigarettes. What's going on here? Is this just a day in the life of Sonny Wen, or something more? Let's delve into A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance Deluxe Edition Hardcover and find out!
Story
Sonny gets to the address he mapped out after darkness has fallen. He trudges uphill through the woods to a lone house. Lights shine through the windows. He knocks on the door and rings the doorbell. He turns to leave. Then he tries the door handle. The door swings open. He calls out for Mary Sullivan. The house is silent. He slips inside.
He finds two bodies, bound and gagged. Sonny’s mind flashes back to the store. He connects items used to torture the couple with the shopper’s purchases.
Returning home, he recovers a thumb drive he’s hidden. He plugs it into a computer and uses it to access a website. He sees the Sullivans listed as a completed job. He finds another person listed: Neva Romero. After some soul-searching, he decides to try to save her. Sonny doesn't count on how difficult it will be for her to trust him. Nor does he realize she has a son. He can't foresee how this single decision—as courageous and selfless as it is—will change his life forever.
A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance Deluxe Edition Hardcover largely unspools like a silent movie. While there's dialogue and sound effects, visual clues reveal telling aspects of the characters and plot, forcing you to pay attention. I didn't understand how a few plot elements connected. They're likely there, and I missed them during my first read-through. But that's okay. I absorbed enough to know I liked it, and it's a worthy read.
Art
The art is deceptively simple. Characters show nuance and expression. While Araújo portrays action adequately, he excels in the slow, everyday moments. Sonny soon grows on you. His love for his mother, his concern for others, and his selfless acts of courage make him a hero. His caring for Neva and her son Xavier reveals his heroism.
Coloring brings warmth to characters and depth and interest to interiors. Outdoor scenes convey nature's rich beauty, while cities reveal how humans radically transform the land in which they live. Violence and torture scenes show restraint. While action scenes are bracing, nothing pleases as much as the way Sonny’s eyes glow when Xavier smiles.
Black uppercase words inhabit white dialogue balloons. The larger physical size (8"x12") may compensate for the smaller font. No narrative boxes reveal thoughts. Sound effects are shocking, creative, and even whimsical. Despite the serious themes and thought-provoking story, the artistry makes A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance Deluxe Edition Hardcover a joy to read. Sixty pages of bonus materials will deepen your appreciation for this noteworthy tale.
Curious? Read the first issue on the Image website. It’s free!
Final Thoughts
While A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance Deluxe Edition Hardcover ponders the link between police corruption and crime, it shows how the pursuit of money and power separates you from what matters most and cannot bring lasting happiness.
Rating 9/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
Read the first issue free on the Image website.
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