Revenger and the Fog

Revenger #2

by Charles Forsman

It's 1979, and Revenger is running with a small group of youth bandits called The Fog, street-made robin hoods that rob together, fight together and sleep together. Why not? But when one of the Fog gets kidnapped by her own psychotic father, comes calling, the hunt - and the battle - is on. Don't miss this action drenched instant classic collecting Revenger & The Fog #1-4 and the Revenger is Trapped one-shot.

Genres: Comics

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2017

About the author

Charles Forsman was born in Pennsylvania in 1982. He is arguably the most acclaimed talent to come out of the Center for Cartoon Studies, a school founded in 2004 by graphic novelist James Sturm and educator Michelle Ollie in White River Junction, VT. Forsman graduated in 2008 and is a two-time Ignatz Award-winner for his self-published minicomic, Snake Oil. He lives in Hancock, MA, where he runs Oily Comics. - See more at: http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.ph...

Reviews

[Ollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every now and then I’ll get an unsolicited comic in the mail. When this happens, I’ll at least get a one-sheet, or a note, or something that helps me understand the context of why I’m being sent this. This time it was a package, with no return address and a post it note saying, “This guy is also from Massachusetts.”

I don’t know who sent me Revenger and the Fog Vol 2, but it sat on my shelf for a while until I decided to finally crack into it on my recent trip to Japan. The first thing I noticed is the artwork, which is a little hard on the eyes. Not that I don’t like a rough looking comic, but Revenger and the Fog looks like Raymond Pettibon decided to draw an entire story. And I never thought I’d say it, but I don’t think I like it. It’s almost like Forsman is trying to choose the ugliest designs for his characters. Just very unpleasant. The artwork is just a little too rough and unhinged to really work as an entire story.

Oh yeah, the story: pretty standard 70’s Blaxploitation stuff here. Revenger is a tough no-nonsense lesbian warrior who for some reason is out to basically inflict violence onto a violent world. Her and her team “The Fog.” One of the team members gets kidnapped by her father and it’s up to the Revenger to rescue her. Yeah, everything from the characters to the story is pretty one-dimensional.

Revenger and the Fog has been lingering in my mind since I read it. I wanted to like this comic. I really did.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

The previous volume was all action but this actually gave me the feels. With the revelation of the Revenger's name came some backstory to a part of her life. She had a girlfriend and a gang. The girlfriend's dad was a sicko with just as demented followers. So much that they do everything to tear the gang apart. By the time Reggie's girlfriend Jenny is back with her dad, some pretty messed up stuff happens. One that causes the reader to question what happens in the right hand's head. For a bloodthirsty murderer, Reggie shows some genuine humanity in these moments until they're ripped from her. It's tragic and genuinely heartbreaking. Now there's nothing left in her, just rage she takes out on the people who deserve it most. It is always nice to see some White supremacists in their micro-nations getting the snot beat out of them.

[Zack! Empire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not too sure what I think about the villains motivations in this book but on the whole it was a really fun and enjoyable read. It's really about the exploitation of violence and how funny and amusing people seem to find that. So if you are a fan of over the top action movies you will probably really like this series. Also you can tell that Chuck has grown exponentially with his artwork. Just look at the difference between Revenger volume 1 and Revenger volume 2. He's definitely grown in a way that's very noticeable. I see he is working on a new series, but I really hope he gets back to Revenger at some point. It seems like there is a lot of history with the character we haven't seen yet.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was like watching a low budget 70's action, revenge flick. Revenger's lover is kidnapped by her crazy father and Revenger goes to get her back. The ultra-violent artwork looks like it's going out of its way to make everyone look ugly. The utter lack of backgrounds makes the clumsy art stand out even more.

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An even better story than the first volume of Revenger.

[Comics Alternative · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://comicsalternative.com/episode-...

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stylishly brutal.

[Justin Decloux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more dense and visually complex than the previous Volume. Still satisfying, even if its a different flavor.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a re-read; I originally read this in single issues as it was coming out.

[David Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book has a real Preacher vibe and the second half goes full TCM. I love that Forsman really commits to the ugliness and grindhouse nastiness.

[Jack S · Rating 1 out of 5]

No . No. I’ve had enough

[Sara Couden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this because, like the other books of Forsman’s I’ve read, it’s spare. And it’s spare despite the refulgence of the graphic violence it depicts. Like, for example, he indicates that his characters live in an apocalyptic alternate 70’s by having cereal cost way more than it should in, like, one frame. The information is all there, and it’s detailed, but these explanatory moments are whispers, so the story feels like a nihilistic haiku about emotional landscapes rather than an enjoyable and/or titillatingly disgusting journey into corruption and violence.

Sort of pointing this out because I read some other reviews that said the story is basically a shock value gorefest in the vein of other shock value gorefests, but I think that’s missing the point—I think Revenger is about emotions and relationships, and that it depicts their tenderness, twistedness, and horror with stillness, empathy, depth and accuracy.