Even though he’s a fairly popular creator (i.e. writer/artist) in comics, this is my first time reading a Daniel Warren Johnson book. I don’t know which of his works is most popular so far, but I can see how Extremity might become the one. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world (think Mad Max but with flying vehicles), with various clans engaged in endless wars of vengeance against each other. We start out following Thea, the princess of the Roto, who lost her mother and her right hand when they were brutally attacked by the Paznina clan, before the story even began. In the first volume, the Roto, led by Thea’s father Jerome, are systematically attacking the leaders of the Paznina who were responsible for everything that Jerome and their family (and by extension, their clan) have lost. Most of the first volume is fighting, a series of vivid, brutal, thrilling battles; but meanwhile Thea’s brother (who is a bit of a pacifist and smart about things, especially pre-apocalyptic tech) discovers an old war robot that he brings back to life.

To me the first volume of this story was fairly conventional. Clans clash (there’s even a game about that) and get trapped in an endless cycle of retaliation and revenge. Jerome and the other Roto are extremely one-note about that, and the enemy Paznina are no different. They had already defeated the Roto somewhat, but still want to avenge humiliations such as the mutilation of their own princess’s face, thus escalating the conflict. As the story ramps up, most of it feels a bit clichéd and shallow. The art by Johnson is good in many ways, but also not to my taste in others. The action scenes (of which there are many) are amazingly illustrated. These scenes are very kinetic and you can feel the speed and the energy of them. Also, the environments and backdrops are great to look at whenever they’re zoomed out into wide shots. However, I don’t love the character art. Johnson’s style is kind of sketchy (i.e. lots of imprecise lines and detail, not having questionable trustworthiness), and the faces aren’t nice to look at — often like lumpy rectangles. Add to that, the battles were often violent and brutal, resulting in very juicy and gutsy (i.e. lots of intestines and viscera, not having brave determination) visuals, which I don’t enjoy.

By the end of the first volume, Thea is essentially led to choose between following the devil on one shoulder (i.e. her father, urging her to be merciless in vengeance for what others have done to them) and the angel on the other (i.e. her brother, who has faith that there’s gotta be another way). It’s a classic dilemma, but also one that has been done many times before. So at the midpoint, I was not feeling like I was going to be a big fan of this series. I expected the second half to flip the record over and play us the same story from the other side — in particular, the Paznina princess’s point of view. Could be interesting, but kind of meh. Good thing my prediction was far from accurate, because the second half had me turning the pages eagerly, and growing more engaged with each moment.

I can’t really review the second half without a lot of spoilers (which I don’t want to provide), so I’ll have to be vague. What makes the second half so good? First, the plot moves along even quicker than in the first volume (which had not been slow, just repetitive) and contains a few pretty good plot twists. Second, with the escalation of the plot action, the visuals also really upped the spectacle: there were fast-paced battles in the air and on the ground, with Johnson’s style supercharging it all. Plus, the perspective kept zooming out to reveal pages which looked incredible — one two-page spread literally stunned me. I paused to stare at the image for a good 10 seconds. I imagined the soundtrack in my mind going suddenly silent, or holding a single lingering note, for that entire moment. Third, though the initial setup made the conflict the central theme of this story, I was impressed by how the solution was introduced — not by having characters go away to find the answer and bring it back, but by having it all happen right in the thick of an escalating battle. That was really well done. Johnson did not go for the easy resolution, and the ending was very satisfying.

I often have poor first impressions, especially of things I read, and I’ve said many times how a few books that I hated on first read ended up becoming favourites on reread. This being a series makes it a bit different in that my first impressions only lasted for half the story and the second half had me galloping on board most of the way. So I would highly recommend this series to anyone who likes a fun, post-apocalyptic (though not too post-apocalyptic, as we don’t see characters rebuilding society or fighting over scarce resources), action-packed story with a lot of character and some thematic and emotional depth. And if you feel uninterested in the first half, take my word that the best part is definitely coming, and it will be worth it.

3.5 stars for Extremity, vol. 1: Artist

4.5 stars for Extremity, vol. 2: Warrior

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