The Old Guard #1 Review — Who Wants to Live Forever?
One thing that you can never accuse Image of is taking a chance on female main characters. It’s part of why Image is currently one of my favorite comic publishers, and why most of their series are gobbling up awards left and right. Greg Rucka’s The Old Guard is the latest series to take a classic concept, give it a female hero, and attempt to see how it pans out. If the first issue is any indicator, it’s (probably) going to work very, very well.
The titular Old Guard is a group of four immortals who appear to have been traveling and working together for a very long time. They’ve traveled through history as soldiers of fortune, as you would expect from a group of people who cannot be killed. They’re very good at their jobs, despite some world weariness that appears to be plaguing the main character, Andy.
The problem with Highlander-esque stories in the modern age is that we are in a state of constant surveillance and connectivity. Long gone are the days of appearing in one place, helping, and then vanishing for 30 years without a trace. As such, I’m always a little cautious of these type of stories.
The Old Guard tackles this problem head-on, early on, within the issue. The team is hired to rescue kidnapped girls (a story that bears a striking resemblance to the horrible Boko Haram kidnappings). The man hiring them, however, even makes a comment about how ageless the team appears to be. Naturally, the job is a ruse, with the plan to out the team as immortals. The question being: to what end?
Meanwhile, in another section of the world, another immortal is born through blood and conflict. She is part of the military, with a witness who recalls her bleeding out. I imagine she will eventually find the Old Guard, but the question is what the government or military will do in the meantime. It makes me wonder if this story is going to be less about what it’s like to be an immortal warrior, and more about how modern society would react to learning about immortals amongst us.
Reviewing first issues of comics is always tricky. Very rarely do comic series jump out of the gate with an “aw yiss.” The Old Guard‘s concept seems sound, and the art and dialog are certainly intriguing. The biggest question will be whether or not it can avoid the pitfalls and trappings of so many “immortals in the technical age” stories.
Our Rating: Yep
Author: Greg Rucka
Artists: Leandro Fernandez
Publisher: Image Comics
Publish Date: 02/22/2017
Acquired via Purchase
