Comic Series Review #1: Black Axe Vol. 1 (1993)
Hello everyone! I am still new to Medium, but as a comic book nerd, I’ve decided to create a comic review series to give some insight into comic series that I have finished and would love to share with whoever is willing to read! I hope you all enjoy!
During the Summer of 2013, I was a high school sophomore taking college prep classes at the Burton Barr Library located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. After finishing for the day, I had time to kill — so I decided to check out the library gift shop. It comprised of typical Phoenix tourist mementos as well as library merchandise. However, it caught my eye that there were so many books within the shop that were able to be purchased. I began rummaging around and stumbled upon Black Axe #1, and figured I’d buy and read it since it was so cheap ($1.50 to be exact, less than the cover price). Little did I know that it would spiral me into wanting to continue reading and finishing this short-lived series.
Published under the Marvel UK imprint, the storyline follows an immortal bounty hunter named Black Axe (named after the massive axe-like superweapon that he carries). This weapon is capable of warping/teleportation, as well as producing energy blasts. After heavy use, it needs to be recharged. Black Axe has fought in several notable conflicts throughout human history, and is always seeking his next challenge while changing to a new alias. The overall series plot revolves around his various missions after he feels that there are no challenges left for him on Earth (which was quickly proven false).
The series draws the reader in quickly with the suspense of Black Axe’s past and who he is. The simple truth is that we do not know who he is, and that’s the appeal. Some characters are familiar, and some are not — which I really enjoyed. Black Axe crosses paths with Black Panther and Mephisto, as well as the lesser known Sunfire. The series introduced the Mohanndan deity Afrikaa, as well as Cardinal Technologies — a faction responsible for arms dealing during the ongoing civil war in Mohannda (a nation that shares borders with Wakanda). I promise not to give out any more spoilers, but the storyline of issues #5 through #7 would actually make a good plot for Black Panther II — especially during the chaos of a post-Thanos world!
Moving on to the artwork, courtesy of Edmund Perryman, Rod Ramos, and Steve Whitaker. The characters are drawn more “lanky” with exaggeration on the torso and elongated limbs in some aspects. Some may not like this style, and others might. Personally, I had no problem with it as it somewhat reminded me of the artwork of Eiichiro Oda in his popular One Piece anime and manga (which I am still trying to catch up on after five years). I did find it offputting at first, but it grew on me as I progressed through each issue. In less cinematic panels, Perryman keeps it simple by only adding detail when neccessary and heavily relying on silhouettes to give the reader an idea of what they are looking at without going all out.
The only complaint I have is that I felt the series was too short. There is no real conclusion as the series was unexpectedly cancelled after 7 issues. What was the reason? Lack of popularity and interest? Possibly, since Black Axe has made practically no appearances in other titles after the series ended. His character feels like wasted potential, similar to the OG version of Broly from Dragon Ball Z (sorry about all of my anime references). The mysterious shroud of his past could have allowed for so many other storylines, possibly set before the events of the series. He would have even made for great anti-hero because of his axe and centuries of combat experience. Would the X-Men or Brotherhood of Mutants have been enough of a challenge for him? Surely there are cosmic entities beyond Earth that could grant him that. All we know is that he is “immortal”, but who is he really? What is his race? Where did he come from? Could he have fallen in with the X-Force or Dark Avengers due to being a mutant-like bounty hunter? Perhaps now I am just jumping ahead too far. Still, Black Axe is underrated and worth the read!
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