Broken Frontier

In the wake of an alternate-history twist, Russia has fallen to the Nazis, though Moscow remains, a final bastion for the resistance. Their ultimate battle begins.

Katharsis #1 focused upon the Nazis and their super-weapon which they grew of eugenics and the blackest of magic – their so-called "Blitzkrieg" – and this man’s unfettered, blood-soaked rampage amongst his own kind. Issue #2, however, leaves this Übermensch and those who struggle to control him behind, in favor of introducing an entire entourage of new characters – the "Serpent Slayers," an elite warrior task-force of the remaining, scattered Russian resistance. The Volk (the occult wizard-sect of the Nazi regime) assault the Slayers’ headquarters with a veritable army of expendable SS soldiers at their command; their express goal is to recapture a Volk defector whom the Slayers now protect. As the two sides engage each other, the members of the Slayers are each given a spotlight to reveal their specialized, almost preternatural abilities, which appear to be on par with those of the Blitzkrieg himself (though not quite as supernaturally effusive, as they’d have long ago killed the demon if they could have). As occurred within the inaugural issue, a 20+ page sequence of creative carnage ensues.

Having been gifted such an effective opening – the introduction of the immensely intriguing Blitzkrieg, with his mysterious origins and his ongoing battle with those viciously wicked wizards, the Volk – I was initially disappointed to discover that this second issue diverted from the original plotline in its entirety. I was eager to return and discover more of the Volk’s superhuman monster and follow his continual escapades across the lands of a conquered and, consequently, supposedly peaceful Russia. Therefore, my original reaction to finding a handful of secondary characters filling up the pages with nary a familiar, sought-for face in sight was positively disheartening. However, as tertiary as the plot within this sophomore issue of the series may initially seem, it tethers itself to the core chronicle at the very bitter end, giving a unique and honestly thrilling, though only eventually satisfying event.

Writer Michael Westerman (Bounty Killer) has chosen to go about chronicling the epic of Katharsis with a particularly ambitious design. If the story continues to weave about the many differing characters that will eventually play a major or semi-major part within the overarching drama, then it will be, by necessity, a reasonably prolonged ride before the many players converge. This would be a far more understandable approach if Katharsis were being produced in any other fictional medium (novels, movies, even balladic poetry!) as a shuffling of character viewpoints from one chapter or scene to another is a standard storytelling tactic for such densely packed, complete-within-itself formats. But for a serially and erratically produced ongoing comic book of only 20-something pages per issue? It’s an intriguing idea, and thus far it does keep the reader entertained and – with every small connection from one plot to another – utterly enthralled. While each issue is satisfying as a singular vignette, the major draw of the series will be its coherency – its ability to juggle the many minutiae of its component parts and assemble them into a functioning marvel of storytelling. I can’t fault the individual chapters for being what they are (as what they are, are well constructed vignettes), but it will take a hefty level of patience to await the bigger payoff of eventual plot and sub-plot junction.

That cavil out of the way, it should be stressed that Katharsis is far and away an action comic, and on this point the second issue – as did the first – excessively delivers. The members of the Serpent Slayers are all given absurd, rococo abilities and elaborately designed weapons. These people can slice a bullet in half in mid-air, mince half-a-dozen soldiers into a multitude of parts via razor-wire yo-yos, and boy, can they sure shoot at things a whole hell of a lot. High concept fiction? Nope, not this part. While the story does retain some truly creative flourishes, the overall execution is blood and guts and gore followed by action, action, action galore! It’s fast-paced, littered with discombobulating feats of inhuman aptitude, and it makes no apologies for its extremely graphic content.

And (on that note of extremely graphic content) the elaborate black-and-white artwork by Emmanuel "Xerx" Javier has achieved an even greater level of consistent sumptuousness this issue than it did in the first, and the first issue – I thought – was the artistic find of the year. The few faults that underscored his work then – minor difficulty distinguishing between characters; a sometimes superfluous, pooling usage of blacks – are all suitably redressed and amended without detracting from the rich effulgence of his standard pulchritude of linework. Even the full-color cover for issue #2 is a handsome, eye-catching pin-up of a piece; a vast improvement over the unsightly awkwardness of the first.

Katharsis is the all-around best new comic I’ve discovered within the past few years. It’s brimming with unnecessary violence, a cavalcade of exorbitantly capable characters, and maintains a style of prose and art that are both equally, shockingly well executed for a relatively unknown, black and white publisher. I may have quibbled more than one might suspect for an item self-proclaimed as "all-around best," but it’s precisely because I believe it to be such, that I am accordingly persnickety with my critique. I care – I care a lot; and if this series can continue to be half as good as it has been thus far, it’ll be one the finest I’ll ever have the pleasure of reading. Katharsis has single-handedly restored my faith that independent publishers can still pop out of the woodwork and deliver enchanting, unforgettable fiction.

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