At the Heart of It All

Zero #2

by Aleš Kot (Writer), Vanesa R. Del Rey, Matt Taylor

Edward Zero was the best spy the Agency had - and then he realized he was working for the wrong side. Now he stands at the crossroads. From Switzerland to Mexico, and back in time to Bosnia in 1993, the lives of those who work for the Agency begin to unravel at fast speed.

Collecting: Zero 6-10

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Espionage, Thriller

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2014

About the author

Aleš Kot is a post-Chernobyl, pre-revolution, Czech-born, California-based writer/producer who started in graphic novels and now makes films, television, and an occasional novella.

A. believe in art and community.
A. doesn't believe in borders nor cops.
A. believes in love, which they know is a very Libra answer. And what about it?

Reviews

[Lono · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zero Vol. 2: “At The Heart Of It All” has a lot in common with Zero Volume 1 "An Emergency" . It continues to jump back and forth in time to tell the story of Edward Zero. He’s like the new, NC-17 rated Jason Bourne for those of you that missed Vol. 1. Ales continues to tell his origin and what will likely be his ultimate demise at the same time in his own peculiar way. I continue to enjoy all the action and violence, as that’s sort of my taste, but I do agree with Joe in that I’d like to see something come together by the next volume. Ales will hopefully offer a little more of an explanation as to what he is building towards with these first two collections. I’ll be patient. Kot’s odd style appeals to me so it’s really not that hard. And all the ultra-violence helps to pass the time.



Agent Roman Zizek and Director Cooke are back at it in this collection as well. Like a couple of middle aged, frumpy jackrabbits those two. Less flabby man-ass visible in this volume though, so that’s a plus. Kot gives a little more insight into where their coming from as well. I think. Kot certainly isn’t spoon feeding answers to the reader at this point and the story could accurately be described as unclear at times. Ales also continues to hint at the program that birthed Edward Zero. Hopefully more on that later. None of the really confusing sci-fi stuff that suddenly appeared at the end of the first collection in this one. For me that’s also a good thing. This one’s a little light on dialogue too. Didn’t matter much to me as the artwork tells part of the story, but it might bother some folks. A very quick read.



Vanessa Del Rey, Matt Taylor, Jorge Coelho, Tonci Zonjic, and Michael Gaydos all provide the artwork in this one. As in Vol. 1, each illustrates one issue. While their styles varied dramatically, all of them were pretty good and none stood out as a stinker. I guess if I had to choose Vanessa, Jorge, and Michael were probably my favorites.



Overall, Kot and his clown car of artists continue to hold my attention telling the wonderfully violent story of agent Edward Zero. While I remain a bit confused as to the direction Edward’s headed, I’m certainly having a good time going along for the ride. So I’ll keep my fingers crossed and give Ales another volume to help clear some things up before I decide to get to steppin’ in search of something a little easier to follow.


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[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a good read, but I'm beginning to wonder what is Kot's endgame here. The non-linear time line from issue to issue makes me want a scorecard. I'm still not sure what is going on with Zero, why he's doing what he's doing, and where he's been up to this point. There are a couple different plots going on here, and not a lot of clarity on either of them. I love the art here, but just as there is a thing as too much exposition, there's such as thing as too little of it, too (most of the time).

Ten issues in and I'm still confused as fuck. It was entertaining, exhilarating, and mesmerizing in the first volume, but now it's just making me dizzy like I just finished a case of Andre Cold Duck. Let's start tying some of these plot lines together soon, ok Kot? I know you think you're cute and all, but it's becoming a bit gimmicky.

I read this in about 20 minutes because there is so little dialog/captioning going on. The art really has to tell the story in most of these issues, so I feel like the various artists should be credited as "writers" as much as Kot. Not all of them do a great job telling the story, but I liked looking at it.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as dense or intriguing as the first volume, but still plenty to chew on mixed into the fast paced action. Great artists once again that somehow manage to be uniquely themselves while still working well together in collected form. I'm hoping for more forward movement for the story in the next volume, but this was still solid.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really think Zero is one of those comics that would be best read in one sitting. Not by volumes, and probably not by single issues.

Ales Kot is an excellent writer, but I think here his reach exceeded his grasp. There was both not enough going on, and too much.

[Cinthya Brenes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one, Zero it's so good I'm so excited to read more!!!

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this nearly as much as the first volume. It's really hard to tell exactly what's going on, between the art and the story that jumps around in time from one issue to the next. A lot of the art this time consists of lots of single panels without a lot of dialogue or description and it really isn't clear just what's happening much of the time. I like the idea of working with a different artist each issue, but this approach worked much better the first time around. This volume is almost impossible to comprehend without some sort of "cast of characters" and even then, would be hard to pin down. Not sure I care to follow this to the next collected edition.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's a bit hard to rate for me, so I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. Somehow I feel the pacing in this volume is a bit off, and the frequent changes in time and location don't help either. Still a great series though and I'm very curious to see how it will develop.

[Dom Fonce · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's really hard to write so much high-octane action, with little words, and have it be somewhat elegant. Ales Kot is one of the better comic writers today, and it's a shame that this series isn't being rated on here appropriately.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings regarding this volume.

On one hand, its fragmented, sometimes jarring, non-linear plot causes confusion and gives the impression that the story has lost sight of its point.

On the other hand, there are moments that shine through that are insightful and subtle in a way that is reminiscent of life itself. Moments of doubt, sadness, and love pepper the book in a way that it makes you forget the overall plot and lets you focus on how Edward Zero must be feeling.

I think the effect is purposeful from Kot. It gives you the impression of a real person moving through life, with small moments of true emotion shining through which are the parts you remember most.

The art ranges from excellent to.... rushed. There are times where the art is as confusing as the plot and pacing, which is not necessarily a good thing. However, there are other times where the art matches the emotion of the scene perfectly and only hightens the feelings expressed (or things left unsaid).

While I didn't enjoy this volume as much as the last one, its still good. And I look forward to reading the next volume.

[Michele Monteleone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forse gli manca un po' lo slancio del primo numero, la sorpresa, ma come in ogni spy story che si rispetti, i colpi di scena si susseguono a un ottimo ritmo e a ogni risposta corrispondono due nuove domande sempre più pericolose. Sono stato un tantino deluso che il super colpo di scena finale del numero uno per ora non sia astato approfondito, ma in compenso il flashback sul passato di Roman mi ha letteralmente straziato il cuore, e trovo che sia importante, in una storia del genere, trovare lo spazio per un momebto più intimo e doloroso per creare empatia con i protagonisti.
Forse si meritava tre stelle invece di 4, ma il momento che ho appena citato e il fatto che proprio quell'episodio sia disegnato dallo straordinario Tonci Zonjic, mi hanno fatto alzare il punteggio. Non vedo l'ora che la Saldapress pubblichi i prossimi due volumi!

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think most of the issues in this volume were better than the first, but the overall plot doesn't make much sense to me. My favourites were issue #6, with Vanesa Del Rey art, and issue #9, with Tonči Zonjić art. #6 interweaves a great riddle into the story that evolves how Zero is going to play out going forward, while #9 was a heart-breaking flashback story.

[Du · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways I enjoyed the second volume more than the first. It has a more coherent story, even while still have a varied storytelling style. I like the course the character is taking and the ambivalence to itself.

[Tom Roller · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I labelled Vol. 1 as James Bland, vol. 2 is Jason Bore. Vapid story, uninteresting dialogues, uninspired action and rough art that becomes hard to follow at times make sure that this is where I wave this series goodbye.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each issue is a mission, in another country and a moment in the life of Edward Zero. The pieces start coming together in this volume, after some set-up in the first volume.

It's impressive work!

[Mark Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. More please. Getting the impression Kot writes better action than philosophical diatribe which is no bad thing.

[Steven W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this nearly as much as the previous one. It was very confusing.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sci-fi, more spy stuff, a bit more confusing in some issues. The little classified bits at the end aren't as intriguing as they were in the first volume, but I do like when they're there at all.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

twilight zone meet mission impossible. im wondering if it just goes on in the same fashion or comes to some sort of conclusion.

[Isaac Lopez]

its kinda adictive

[Đenis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Začína to byť zaujímavé. Zero ukončuje spoluprácu s agentúrou. Odhalený je pán s maskou a zase sa objavujé záhadné teleportačné zariadenie. Kresby zo začiatku sú presne to čo mám rád, posledná kapitola bola taká hrubá.

[Lojicholia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good story, adds some depth as to where Edward came from and why Žižek is the way he is, but I had to deduct 1 point for the art… it was just all over the place.

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The same with Vol 1, I have no idea what the f*ck is going on. Only here, though, is that sense of vagueness more frustrating than intriguing. It seems the story is carrying on towards some future endgame (I mean, I can only guess at this point), where all the puzzle pieces will fall into place, but I don't honestly know if I'll continue with the story after this volume... Most of the time, I highly enjoy being ignorant of what is happening in a story, as long as what I'm left with is interesting enough to carry me along.

I don't need all the answers right away.
I don't need to be spoon-fed truths and facts.
All I need want is reassurance that there will be a payoff in the end.
I want a hint at an ultimate satisfaction in what I read, and I'm not getting any of that from 'Zero.'

To stress the point, not a lot happens in Vol 2. There are multiple full page illustrations with little-to-no dialogue, and with nothing taking place. And, once again, we're back with multiple illustrators for separate chapters of the story, which gets confusing when they each draw the same character differently. Much of the action in Chapter 6 is so schizophrenic; the art so muddied and gritty, it's hard to tell what is happening on the page.

I'll have to think real hard before if I get Vol 3. I don't know how many more chances I'm willing to give this series, or if I'm confident enough in its endgame to shell out more money for the remaining volumes.

[Asa Giannini · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this volume alone is not particularly amazing, it doesn't really hurt what is shaping up to be an incredible series.

Volume Two does not have the momentum or clarity of volume one, nore the surpisingly sudden intrusion of sci-fi into an otherwise straight espionage story. However, the art remains fascinating and while Kot could use to write with a little less atmospheric sparseness (three issues in a row contain four page sequences with very little dialogue), his character work remains spot-on and fascinating.

Finally, perhaps the most disappointing but hopeful element of this book is the attention to the larger story arc. No element is forgotten about and all signs point to massively interesting explanations ahead, but at the end of the volume we have little new information about mushrooms, Ginsberg Nova, Zizek's duplicity, or what the agency is fighting in the first place.

So while I enjoyed this immensely, it will only read really well once further details are filled in.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

The non-linear storytelling in this book infuriates me. I have no idea WTF is going on. Every page seems to take place in a different time without there ever being a baseline. For non-linear stories to work you really need a common time that you keep going back to or at least be able to condense the story down into a 2 hour movie. The art ranges between craptastic and decent depending on the issue. There would probably be a pretty good story here if someone cut up the finished product once it's over and rearranged the panels into a coherent timeline.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Agency is getting cleaned up from within. Zero kills Roman, his handler, right after he mentions that Sara, his superior, is also going to be killed. Sara ends up in a spectacularly deadly firefight, but manages to survive with Zero's help who tells her he quits. We see Zero trying to make a life outside the Agency, in the real world, where he still feels the same paranoia even though he realizes it's safe.

[Haniel Barbosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como é forte a impressão visual que Zero consegue passar. Algumas vezes parece que o desenrolar do enredo é mero plano de fundo para você ser atordoado por uma página contendo toda a força daquele segmento.

A estória mantém-se insana e brutal, ainda funcionando bem, avançando alucinadamente, chocando e hipnotizando. Zero é muito, muito bom.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The work that is here is brilliant, though much more sparse than issues 1-5. The problem is, though, that the twist that showed up in issue 5 makes no appearance at all in this arc. Still absolute top notch level spycraft thriller, but I really wanted to see more connection to the first 5 issue arc than was here.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. I'd like this series a LOT better if it didn't jump around so much. How about following the same thread for two issues, even? I just read 7 issues in a row and I was barely holding the plot together. Still, it's a good story and I like the art and I want to read more.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may require a reread. Between the different artists for each issue and each episode years before/after the others, it is difficult to keep track of what is going on. I've heard other reviewers describe each tale as a small tile in a bigger mosaic, and that feels about right to me.

[Ondra Král]

Tak jsem si definitivně potvrdil, že Aleš Kot a já kamarádi asi nebudeme. Přečetl jsem všech 6 příběhů a pochopil možná jeden (a to patřím k těm, co mají rádi Morrisona). Absolutně netuším o co v té knížce šlo a co se tam dělo a setsakra se netěším, až na to budu psát recenzi.