Aquila: Charon’s Mercy #3 p.5

This arc continues to be so much fun as Aquila and Felix get closer to the Big Bad in this installment. We left off over the previous chapter with the guys having vanquished two of the Big Bad’s underlings, Charon and Mercury. Charon and Mercury were a sanitation crew (of sorts) in a gladiatorial arena; clearing out the bodies of the dead. Simple enough, right? But we soon discover that this crew is actually taking the bodies to be fodder for the Big Bad’s necromantic experiments. And Aquila intends to stop it.

The highlight here is Gordon Rennie’s script and the banter between the Big Bad and one of his unfortunate experiments. The conversation between the two is hilarious while providing just the right amount of exposition to move the story along rather smoothly. Paul Davidson’s art and Len O’Grady’s colors continue to shine. From Aquila and Felix hacking through thorny thickets and battling the undead guarding the Big Bad, there is almost a kinetic malice that emanates from the pages. Davidson also shows some really cool creature designs in the final panel that promise nothing but trouble for Aquila and Felix.

Adrian Johnson