Review: Hornets - Book 1
The Sting
The first book of Hornets arrived recently after a successful Kickstarter campaign.
Betrayed by their superiors and captured behind enemy lines, the Hornets must rely on their wits, courage and teamwork to escape.
By Jordan Sam Adams, Ben Edwards & Rachel Ordway
Kickin off with the action in the past, Hornets gives us a rapid introduction to the team, what to expect and some hints on their current situation. It gives us a good fog-of-war aspect and an idea of the stakes of what is happening in this battlefield.
There are some well-played-out sequences, including the early-on death of a character, which drives home what the team are up against.
Jumping forward to the now, we see where the Hornets are shacked up. You can tell they haven’t given up hope yet, and there are still plans to escape. These look difficult, as they are kept locked and locked and watched.
Next up is a good time jump, giving us more background on the team and its capabilities. Their personalities also get a good look here too, which works well in the story. The action is well played out, with some sci-fi tech being used and some big bangs.
As the story in the prison progresses, we start to get an idea of why the Hornets found themselves where they did - and who may be responsible. Things start to click into place, and you get some ideas about this story's route.
Then it turns on you.
There is some clever play here, which adds to the story and makes you reevaluate the flashbacks you’ve seen and wonder where the rest will go - it is very clever.
The art plays out well. There is a good mix of jungle, prison and city scenes to check out, each with its own feel behind them. The prison is done well and looks like you would expect. The Hyrdra-Stye guards are a nice touch, and I like the use of the droid. There is some excellent colouring through, and the lettering helps with who is who.
At the conclusion of this issue are some excellent files on the Hornets and more. Of course, some information is redacted, but it adds to the story and now we have some reading on the characters, it adds a new dimension to it all. I have always enjoyed these aspects in comics, which is a welcome addition.
You can check out creator Ben Edwards’ LinkTree here:
And follow along on Kickstarter for the next issue here:
