
Call of Duty: Black Op III Comic Review
November 4, 2015In anticipation of the new Call of Duty: Black Ops III video game due out on November 6, game publisher Activision, along with their developers Treyarch, Beenox and Mercenary Technology have teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to create a prequel comic.
Written by Larry Hama and art by Marcelo Ferreira, and color by Dan Jackson, the comic feels much like a Call of Duty campaign. You are dropped into the action, in this case, a backwater city called Tashkent. The events that transpire here point to some of the known storyline for the Black Ops III installment.
For an accessory comic, its story is still intriguing. And if you’re not familiar with the Call of Duty games there is still enjoyment to get out of it. Although, you may need to have Google open nearby to search all the army jargon for better understanding. The reader is dropped right in the middle of action, and it takes several pages, not panels, to get a good grasp of the story at hand.
Ferreira’s art is appropriate for the nature of the comic, gory yet fun at times with a lot of quick moving action. The Black Ops guys are all drawn massive, while everyone else primarily isn’t. The only tough part about the artwork is that at times you have to work hard to figure out who is throwing what punch at whom.
For Hama’s writing, the comic itself very contained. While it can standalone from the franchise, it isn’t on strong feet. It would have been nice to know what the real threat at hand was earlier in the book. If you like warzone action, it’s a supplemental piece that will be engaging to read. And Hama surely does pour on the battle.
It is nice to see the creators embrace a diverse group of characters. While Call of Duty still lacks a significant presence of females (and more specifically female soldiers), they are upping their inclusion in other areas.
The comic is out today, November 4, while the highly anticipated video game comes out on November 6. It peeks into the lives of an elite squad of soldiers who are fighting a secret war in a ravaged future. The second issue will be out on December 2 with a third following on January 6. It is a wonderful edition to hardcore fans of the games and those who enjoy the action ad sci-fi comics.