Army of Two Volume 1

Army of Two #1-6

by Peter Milligan, Dexter Soy

Written by comics veteran Peter Milligan (X-Statix, Greek Street), follow ex-Army Rangers Salem and Rios as they form their own Private Military Corporation: Trans World Operations. But the pair get more than they bargained for as they are unexpectedly caught in a brewing war between the Mexican Army, drug cartels, and The Maras - one of the most powerful street gangs in Mexico

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2010

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.

He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.

His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.

Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).

Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix

Reviews

[David Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost pure action. A little far fetched with the action, but a sugar rush nonetheless. I thought the two shooters did spend too much time arguing with each other (while they were fighting the bad guys). Made for the 16 yr old boy in us all.

[JJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first Army of Two game, like the first comic (Dirty Money) is a globe-trotting adventure that's focused on the missions protagonists Salem and Rios undertake over the years to build up their own mercenary company. The second Army of Two game, and this comic, are smaller-scope adventures confined to one time and location that focus on a longer conflict and simmering issues between Salem and Rios. Personally, the first game and comic were more to my liking than this one.

Across the Border is six-issue comic series focused on a conflict in Mexico. Apart from Salem and Rios, attention is paid to the main antagonist - a man who appears weak but rises up the ranks of a gang and takes control. He's easily the most memorable part of the series, from his introduction on the first few pages until the resolution of his story near the end of the volume. Other than some quieter moments with this character, it's either nonstop action or annoying bickering between Salem and Rios. I remember gravitating more toward Rios when playing the games, and I definitely feel the same way here. Sometimes I like their banter, but Salem makes some particularly bad decisions and inferences that really rub me the wrong way - making one of the protagonists much less likable than the other seems like an odd choice for a co-op franchise.

There's a flatter, less-realistic art style here compared to the previous graphic novel, and it doesn't make nearly as much of an impression. It doesn't help that the series setting doesn't lend itself to dramatic background or landscapes, so there's not much to see other than the characters - but I do give the series credit for making it a little easer to tell between Salem and Rios when they're masked up at a distance than the previous comic did.

I figure Across the Border is probably skippable for Army of Two fans. It's basically just a side story featuring Salem and Rios that hits some of the same notes as the games - and, in particular, the second game that released the same year. But if you haven't read it yet and find yourself wanting more Salem and Rios, it might be worth a look. After all, you don't have a lot of options and this one's passable, at least.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the print equivalent of a shooting video game where the shooters never suffer serious injury, even against the most daunting of odds. Ex-Army Rangers Salem and Rio are the point of the spear of a private military corporation called Trans World Operations. They are constantly bickering, even while under heavy fire, there are times when the insult to the other appears to be more important than dealing with the enemy.
When in action they wear masks and they never run out of ammunition, even when on full automatic for extended periods of time. Their operation is in Mexico (hence the title) and while there the two of them go against rogue police, the soldiers of drug cartels, street gangs and military units that have modern automatic weaponry.
Somehow through it all, Salem and Rio shoot straight while their opponents do not. As mercenaries not subject to any form of military justice, they do not hesitate to kill people, even when there is uncertainty regarding the threat that they pose. It is military fantasy of the highest or lowest order, depending on your point of view, in the form of a graphic novel.