Hunt. Kill. Repeat. #4 // Review
Artemis is looking for her son. She’s going to get a great deal of resistance from those who might take her to see him. They might give her some difficulty, but they’re not going to stop her. She IS the goddess of the hunt, after all. She continues her conflict with Zeus in Hunt. Kill. Repeat. #4. Writer Mark London’s six-part series enters its second half with an action-packed drama that slices its way across the page courtesy of artist Francesco Archidiacono. London pummels the page with divine aggression that has an earthy brutality to it.
Artemis stands against Athena. Artemis is there for her son. Athena is there for revenge. Artemis is ready for the conflict. She might not be ready for the conflict with Cicero, though. Athena’s owl is a hunter of an entirely different kind, and it’s been quite some time since Artemis has had her full power as a goddess. Thankfully, Artemis has more than a few friends who know her well enough to know what she needs to thrive in a combat of any kind. It might be just enough to tip the scales in her favor.
London continues to place the contemporary setting somewhere in the background of a plot that focuses itself quite squarely on the convoluted concerns of ancient Greek gods. Contemporary dialogue aside, it’s a story that feels like it could almost take place in any era at all. Still--there IS some drama in seeing Artemis reach out to the elevator call panel and dramatically press the button for the penthouse. It would be nice to see the gods contrasted against the current world, but that’s not really where the power of London’s story lies. This is a raw clash between different elements of power.
The simple conflict between forces is presented on the page with a fluidly graceful sense of power and form by Archidiacono. The artist’s inventive sense of design looks particularly good on Cicero. It has overwhelmingly radiant eyes and golden armor that makes it look every bit the godlike apex predator that could slash a mortal Artemis to ribbons. Archidiacono continues to cast Artemis in a powerfully heroic light without compromising the kind of vulnerability that accompanies her status as a mortal in the series. The action moves swiftly across the page. Archidiacono also captures emotional moments on the page from all the right angles.
London has done a pretty good job of modulating the action. Rising tensions have gradually been mounting over the course of the first half of the series. Clearly, Artemis is heading towards some kind of showdown with Zeus. If she had all the power of her original divinity, a confrontation with the diety would be a challenge. Without her power, it’s going to be that much more of a challenge. It’s a captivating journey with Archidiacono’s work amping up the intensity with some very well-executed godlike aggression exploding across the page.
