Book Review: Art Ops vol #1

Book: Art Ops volume #1: How to Start a Riot (issues #1-5) by Shaun Simon with illustrations by Michael Allred and Matt Brundage, color Laura Allred and letters by Todd Klein

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Reggie Riot is no one’s idea of a cultural savior. The latchkey child of a busy single mother, he’s grown up to be a resentful slacker whose idea of high culture is getting stoned and admiring the graffiti in the alley where he scores his weed.

His mother, however, is not your average working parent. She’s the head of a secret organization called Art Ops, whose mission is protecting the artistic treasures of the world—which have a lot more life in them than a casual observer might realize.

Reggie has always shunned his mom’s high-culture scene, but a devastating encounter with the shadowy forces menacing the world’s masterpieces has left him with a permanent expression of the chaotic power of art flowing through his very veins.

So when Art Ops itself suddenly vanishes without a trace, leaving its final rescue—La Gioconda, the Mona Lisa herself—out in the cold, it’s up to Reggie and his motley crew—including a masked super-powered operative who writes sitcom scripts on spec, a girls-just-wanna-have-fun ’80s music-video icon, and a suburban clerk from a mall-punk clothing chain—to come to the rescue.

But do they have what it takes to stand up to the dark side of human creativity?



Rating: 2 stars

Review:

Art Ops volume #1 really seemed like a story I should have loved especially since it's one of those kooky comics that generally appeal to me. It definitely had an interesting premise. However, I was disappointed with this story because it falls flat with the main character Reginald "Reggie" Riot being a whiny obnoxious irresponsible jerk through most of the five issues and with the story itself.

In this first volume it follows a special group called the Art Operatives who not only protect art but also make sure the world doesn't find out that art is actually alive. To protect the art, they actually remove it from the picture but what I noticed is it's only the human images (and make that the pretty ones) that are being removed. If all art is being protected why are the human images the ones that get the protection. Why is the background not considered protected art just the human image that is removed? Case in point when the famous portrait of Mona Lisa was being targeted the Art Ops went to The Louvre to remove her from the painting leaving a replica in it's place.

Meanwhile in New York City, the leader of the Art Ops, Regina Jones' son Reggie was too busy whining about her and going out with his girlfriend to buy drugs. He had no idea that night would end in tragedy as he was attacked by graffiti, leaving his girlfriend dead (actually killed by one of the drug dealers) and his right arm severed.

To save him, the Art Ops (although it was never discussed only shown) gave him an art infused treatment. It covers his entire arm almost seeming to try to take over if he doesn't use the antidote which works on a temporary basis. Despite his life being saved he decided not to join the Art Ops like his mother wanted him to. Reggie continued to do nothing besides whine about her and wasting his time doing underground boxing matches.

When the entire Art Ops mysteriously disappear from an awards ceremony, one operative known as The Body (he is a superhero from a comic book) was tasked with trying to not only keep Mona Lisa safe but also try to find out what happened to the Art Ops. In a move that makes no sense, he went to Reggie for help. The Body wanted Reggie to keep an eye on Mona while he goes and investigate. To make it easy he placed Reggie and Mona in a safe house in New Jersey. Reggie's one and only task was to keep Mona safe but he couldn't even do that. Instead of keeping her out of sight he not only takes her to the mall but also to New York City. He knows someone is destroying art but he doesn't care because his bad attitude and general disdain for everything makes him not care about anyone but himself. Joining them for the journey is Juliet, some teenager they met at the mall who seems totally enthralled by Reggie and Mona.

The trio went to a bar, where Mona went missing while the art came alive and killed nearly everyone in the place except for Reggie, Juliet and another Art Operative Isabella a music video icon who The Body went to for help.

As the story unfolds you find out who is behind the art being destroyed and their reasons for doing it which makes no sense. The villain is actually art but is "ugly" art that no one really takes the time to appreciate or view. Her desire is to let the world know that art is real and to do that by destroying all the "pretty" art. I have a problem with this story because the villain is art that is cubist which has an abstract appearance. It's as if the writer is saying that art is only pretty in a conventional way that anything shown otherwise is considered ugly. But that's the beauty of art, it's subjective leaving anyone to see whatever they want in it.

Despite Michael Allred's amazing art, it couldn't save this. It was boring with a story and characters that were bland and very forgettable. The only character I like was The Body, he was the only one the writer seemed to put more of an effort into creating. Probably because he was a superhero from a comic book, The Body was the only one that had this sense of duty in trying to stop art from being destroyed.

I wish this had been a good read because I love the idea that art is alive but this story was handled horribly. Perhaps the second volume will be better, I'm willing to give it a chance to see if it improves.