Assassin’s Creed: Uprising #1 Review – More Out of the Blue Than Dropping Into the Animus
I have been terrible about reading the Assassin’s Creed comic series. I read the first issue back when it first released, and I wasn’t too impressed with it. The main character, Charlotte de la Cruz, had way too many chips on her shoulders, and she was rather bitchy about all of them. When she exploded during her job interview, all I could think was, “Maybe you wouldn’t have gotten the job because of the interviewer’s nepotism to her daughter, but your mouth might prevent you from ever getting another job in that industry.” It was so painful to read, and I couldn’t bring myself to like her at all. I didn’t like Desmond Miles much either, but that was because he was boring. I prefer boring to tantrum-throwing.
Once I sat down and read the series in its entirety, it captured my attention. It takes about 2-3 issues in to really pick up steam, but when it does, it’s a barrel ride. I still don’t like Charlotte much, but she’s toned down her outbursts. She also seems to be shrugging off a few of the chips on her shoulders. To be fair, though, I didn’t like many of the Assassins in this story except for Guernica.
The end of the comic was certainly open-ended enough to continue, and that’s what we have with Assassin’s Creed: Uprising. I believe this one is going to take 2-3 issues to get into as well.
Time has obviously passed from the end of AC to the beginning of Uprising. Charlotte is now a full-fledged Assassin sent on missions. Galina is training new recruits to the Brotherhood. The Templars are moving forward with their Phoenix Project, and the Assassins would like to stop them. I understand there will be some confusion with the time lapse, but calling this first issue confusing is a gross understatement.
There’s chaos. Bloodshed. What appears to be cybernetic Assassins killing Charlotte and her team. One of the Master Templars has donned something called “Black Cross” gear. It’s all very discombobulated and a bit hard to follow. After reading it through a second time, it was easier to piece a bit of the plot together. Even then, it’s still a mess.
I have to believe that the authors intended this first issue to be a mess to entice readers to read further and sort it out. That’s a gamble, but chances are, the only reason why someone would be reading this is because they have read the first comic series. Therefore, they’re already invested. Of course they’re going to see this through for at least a little bit.
I’m optimistic after my experience with the first series, but I’m cautiously optimistic at that.
Our Rating: meh
Authors: Alex Paknadel and Dan Watters
Artists: Jose Holder and Marco Lesko
Publisher: Titan Comics
Publish Date: 02/01/2017
Acquired via Publisher
