The Rocketfellers #11 // Review
The front of the van is touching the ground. In the desert. In Jornada del Muerto. In Alomagordo, New Mexico. The family is inside it. Thankfully, they’re able to get out of the thing before it completely collapses in The Rocketfellers #11. Writer Peter J. Tomasi and writer/artist Francis Manapul continue their journey with a family on the run from the 25th century. The drama hits the page with quite a bit of force, amplified as it is by the action and tension which is moving through the narrative. The saga continues with an engaging adventure that works on several different levels at once.
Raina is after them. They need to scramble if they’re going to be able to avoid her. The family’s connection to the 25th century says that Raina may have locked-on to their energy signature, which is going to mean that she knows exactly where they are. There’s no chance in getting away from her if they don’t move quickly, but the loss of the van is a major problem and they ARE in the middle of a desert. Things are going to be dangerous if they confront Raina, but htey might be equally as dangerous in the desert on the run from her...
Tomasi and Manapul have written themselves into a corner where there has to be a tremendous amount of information packed into the page while still managing to maintain progress on the plot. There needs to be a real sense of tension about it all that also needs to be totally bogged-down in plot details in order to make any kind of ral sense at all. They need to keep the pacing of an action story moving while still packing a lot of information int othe dramatic end of the story. That’s not an easy balance to manage. The balance in the script and the pacing is almost perfect, though. It all hits the page with stiking clarity that still manages to maintain a strong sense of urgency throughout.
Manapul’s art follows the lead of Tomasi’s script with striking clarity. There’s a great deal of information being packed into every panel, yet it still manages to keep the sense of urgency, momentum and overall impact as Raina continues to pursue the family in one of the single most dramatic locations in the entirety of the U.S. It’s just a desert. There’s no reason why it should look at all dynamic on the comics page. Somehow, Manapul manages to lock-in the feeling of intensity and immensity of the New Mexican desert as the family has its showdown with Roland’s sister.
The action continues with a major cliffhanger ending that is going to make the wait for the next issue feel especially long. The overall energy of the action continues to find its distinct appeal in an adventure series that feels quite distinctly unlike anything else on the comics rack today while still managing to feel familiar enough to be cozy on the comics page.
