Near Death

Markham is a killer for hire. His most recent contract didn’t go quite as planned, and he’s suffering from a gunshot wound. Luckily, like all hitmen, he has a girlfriend who just happens to be a veterinarian with all the skills and implements needed to see to his wounds. He dies for a while, though, and sees a vision of hell in which all his previous victims reside. He comes to, and resolves to save a life for every life he’s taken. Action ensues.

The set-up is simple, and there’s potential for some great stories involving his quest for redemption. What we get instead are some formulaic and easily resolved conflicts. Personally, I’m not sold on Markham’s quick decision to turn over a new leaf. His hell, the brief look we get of it, didn’t really look too bad. Sure there are these depressed looking souls wandering around, but other than that, it looks like a fairly pleasant place.

 This book needs to spend some time on characterization as I didn’t really care whether Markham lived or died through his adventures. Also, he’s taking more lives than he’s saving, so I’m not sure how that’ll work out with his ‘balancing the scales’ agenda in the long run.

The high point of the book is the art. Simone Guglielmini’s work adds tone and atmosphere, and the action is conveyed well.

Near Death is published by Image Comics, written by Jay Faerber, with art by Simone Guglielmini.

Reviewed by T-Shirt Joe

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