Broken Frontier

In modern day India the dreaded Lord Bala now owns a nightclub. He hires an Apsara assassin to find the woman known as Devi, unaware that his girlfriend may in fact be the one he seeks in disguise.

I enjoyed the first issue of Devi so much that I decided to give the second installment a chance and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed with the end result. There’s just something about this type of mythology that I find totally fascinating and it’s nice to see the concept of ancient Indian gods utilized to full advantage.

Now unlike the first issue, the story crafted here takes place entirely in modern day India in a city called Sitapur. A determined police detective (Rahul) is seen in hot pursuit of a suspect who seems to be exhibiting supernatural powers. Eventually he manages to bring him down with a single bullet, and once the suspect has been brought to the morgue strange things begins to happen. The dead can certainly return and in this case our suspect gets up off the slab and immediately attacks the detective and police mortician. Again Rahul is forced to dispatch the man and in doing so he realizes that something sinister is at work in the city. From there he follows a lead to a downtown nightclub owned by a man who may be the dreaded Lord Bala reincarnated. There certainly seems to be a connection here and as Rahul watches the man closely, he learns the club owner’s girlfriend has been kidnapped by members of the Durapasya.

Once again there is so much going on in this issue, and writer Siddharth Kotian tightly balances every single plot element. I love the story he is crafting here and you get the feeling of cinematic action thriving in every single panel. The writer also imbues every character with realistic dialogue, and it’s easy to see how talented of an individual he really is. I am looking forward to future issues in the series to see how well Siddharth handles some of the nifty plot elements established here.

The art work of Mukesh Singh is probably what stands out the most for me in this second installment of Devi. His work flows effortlessly from panel to panel and his strong drawing skills serve him well in an earlier scene which details Detective Rahul being forced to decapitate his reanimated suspect. I really found that scene in the police morgue to be wickedly humorous and it served as a highpoint here in the first quarter of the story. The remaining pages that followed were all streamlined into a cohesive and mutually satisfying read, and Mukesh is obviously enjoying his role as illustrator on this series.

So if you want to get in on the ground floor on a series destined for greatness then I suggest giving Devi a try. Thematically this series brings a fresh approach to Indian Mythology and culture to a wide audience, and it’s also nice to see a more ethnic based superhero gracing the comic racks for a change. The other great thing about Devi is the strong creative team of Kotian and Singh, and both of these talents will get plenty of accolades in the months to come. I can guarantee it!