Written by Adam Freeman & Marc Bernardin
Art by Bruno Redondo, Penciller
To coincide with this week’s official launch of the PUSH website we’ve got reviews of issue 2 and 3 of the PUSH comic book adaptation! The film stars Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, and Djimon Hounsou! Check out our review of the latest installments of the comic and then head on over to the official website to get ready for the film’s release on February 6th!
I have no shame when it comes to seeking instant gratification. So when I was handed Push, 2 and 3, I didn’t hesitate to dive right in despite the fact my OCD/ADD would prefer I wait for the trade paperback version. Score a major win for instant gratification, complete with happy dance.
I might have had a better chance resisting the temptation if I weren’t also kind of a MySpace whore. Go see the Push MySpace (www.myspace.com/push) campaign complete with profile, movie preview, and a contest for one lucky person to have their likeness drawn into the last issue of the comic. I promise you’ll be blown away by the image of Dakota Fanning, who plays a watcher in the movie, looking like the by-product of an Olson Twin/Christina Ricci ménage à trois.
The Book
At the cliffhanger ending of Push, 1, aptly subtitled The Question, top Division agent Ezra Lowe asks “who can you trust?” As a reader, one who especially hates cliffhangers, I was left with many burning questions: What will happen to Ezra? Who sabotaged his last two missions? How far would he have gone with the IRA operative while transmogrified as an easy bar chick? Will the writers introduce any strong female characters I can identify with or just stick with empty stereotypes? Will the story continue in 1986 or get brought up to current date?
Push, 2 – The Deception begins with Ezra given a new team and a new assignment: recover, or destroy with deadly force if necessary, a disc of highly secretive information stolen from the Division. During the private jet flight to reach the location of the assignment, Ezra shares the history of the Division. As the first recruit of the Division, rescued by the Division founder Mr. Miller from a life of juvenile delinquency after his mother committed suicide and his father abandoned him, Ezra has been a devoted agent until the last two missions. Since then he’s begun to question his future within the Division. The issue ends with Ezra being captured and threatened at gun-point by members of his own team.
Push, 3 – The Betrayal picks up right where 2 ends and quickly escalates with Ezra’s rescue and infiltration back into Division to recruit allies in his own war against the Division. In the middle of it all, Ezra learns his life story has been completely fabricated by the Division to hide his much more sinister origins. Finally, in this issue, the writers introduce a female character that isn’t annoying, impulsive, or insecure.
Both issues begin with a very helpful recap of the previous installment. Then they follow the same basic recipe: 1/3 story set up, 1/3 flashback sequence, 1/3 story resolution punctuated with a cliffhanger ending. My favorite element is the splash page that is piled high with yummy ingredients like a super supreme pizza. I appreciate the need for backstory, but enough with the flashbacks already. I’m just not as interested in baby Ezra and the Division origins as I am in the active storyline, which is entertaining, unpredictable, and so engaging that I barely noticed the barrage of full-page ads.
10/10
The Artwork
Push, 2 and 3 have a rich lifelike cinema-graphic tone which is more advanced than the 1986 setting would warrant. Subtle environmental elements like light, heat, and moisture are craftily layered into the artwork. The intangible psychic attributes of the agents are nearly palpable.
10/10
Overall (Not an Average) 10/10
The Review
The Story 10/10
The Artwork 10/10
Overall (Not an Average) 10/10