Broken Frontier

Years after being betrayed by her Queen and lover Nefertiti, the slave girl Sakkara returns to wreak her vengeance as the vampiric Purgatori.

Cursed by the One True God and turned by the vampire Rath, Purgatori finally returns to Egypt. As readers learn that Queen Nefertiti has been no more trustworthy to her new lover, Sefret, than she was to Sakkara, Purgatori descends to burn the city and its people to the ground. Forced to watch from her palace, Nefertiti waits as retribution draws near.

As much as I wanted to, I just couldn’t find much in Purgatori #5 that interested me. Robert Rodi, a writer I’ve always felt usually offers stories that are above average, doesn’t seem to be able to add anything particularly engaging to what is essentially a 22-page orgy of destruction. The previous issues of Purgatori that I did read have provided more substance to the character than I would have expected from her appearance, but this chapter never presented any strong hook or twist to draw me in. The final pages featuring a later version of Purgatori and some sort of hooded judge (I found the recap on the title page to be a convoluted mess) offered some tantalizing hints at the redemption story, but by that point, it was too little and too late. The most entertaining parts of the comic were Rodi’s historical allusions and the notes following the tale.

Cliff Richards’ art was another source of frustration in Purgatori #5. At times, he provided rich, well-defined characters, but would then follow with a page that seemed almost unfinished, creating an uneven feel to the book. The lack of significant backgrounds was also disappointing, given the texture and depth it could have added to Purgatori’s historical setting. Considering the relative lack of cerebral or emotional content, it would have at least been interesting if the book had decided to push the violent and sexual nature of the story to the forefront in an effort to invoke some level of horror or shock. Instead, both elements seem bland and tame, although it was entertaining to look for all the different ways Purgatori’s nude form was obscured ("lots of shadows" followed by "long hair falling in just the right places" led the way).

Given the number of other projects by Rodi and Richards that I have enjoyed in the past, the bland and uninspired Purgatori #5 was disappointing.