Written by: Guillaume Dorison
Illustrations: Jean-Baptiste Hostache
Coloring: Jean-Baptiste Hostache
Publisher: Dorison & Hostache
Assassin’s Creed Conspiracies #1 Die Glocke – Comic Book Review
With the Assassin’s Creed live action movie currently in theatres, it was only natural other AC items would start surfacing again, especially merchandise for said movie. We were actually surprised to see a comic book series being released, with an original storyline attached to it. We wouldn’t be true gamers if we didn’t check out this new series, which takes places in the 1940’s, rather than the more modern adventures. We weren’t quite sure if we would be able to dive in the now very familiar Animus again, or if the leading character of this series would actually be someone outside of the normal assassin’s setting.
Eddie Gorm is a textbook example of a ruffian who was the head of an old London street gang, called the Dockers, who, as you might have guessed, did most of their shady business at the docks. Eddie, and his followers, controlled the flow of items, they stole from the military and even prevented other gangs from dealing weapons and other harmful items. Eddie is not a common criminal, as he simply does this to keep his friends and family safe, and in this time of need, well-fed. When he gets offered a lucrative job, that could have provided a hefty amount of financial security, Eddie declines, as his contractor is an actual well-known gangster, thus not the type of person Eddie wishes to be associated with.
Later that night, Eddie comes home to the children of his Brother, who died in the war, and Mary. Mary is rather worried, as someone approached the kids earlier that day, asking questions about Eddie, and thus she feels it’s time to leave the area. Reluctantly Eddie agrees, but heads out for a walk first. He suddenly gets approached by a middle-aged man and a young woman, who tell him he should accept the gangster’s offer, as he is associated with the Nazis who are working on a nuclear weapon. They try to persuade Eddie into joining their mission, which could lead to the salvation of the world. Eddie declines, simply because he still has a home to go to, but at that precise moment, his house is bombarded by German bombers, thus making him lose Mary and the children. Struck with grief, the duo once again offers him the chance to save the world, and now, exact his revenge.
It’s clear the story is still properly being laid out in this first issue, where things are quite political, and somewhat heavy, as it’s all about espionage and shifting the tide of the second World War. Nonetheless, seeing the issue only spans around 40 pages, things need to be wrapped up properly, in order to create an interesting first album, thus the pace is adjusted accordingly. Things will go fast enough to create a certain drive for you to keep flipping those pages, but you’ll also get more than enough information to process all the things that are going on. Guillaume Dorison does a great job in portraying a story that actually feels rather realistic, given the setting and the period during which things supposedly took place.
Illustrations are rather tight and clean and have a fair amount of details to them. You’ll be treated to fairly dull coloring, making things feel a bit old school, which fits the timeframe of the second World War. Nonetheless, sometimes things may feel a bit too clean, as it’s about war, infiltration, assassins and nuclear weapons, yet you’ll only see a few small drops of blood. That being said, Jean-Baptiste Hostache shows that he can draw good-looking characters and equally impressive backdrops. We are curious to see how he will handle this series, when the action, which is bound to come, is fully set in motion.
Conclusion
Assassin’s Creed Conspiracies #1 Die Glocke is a fairly interesting newcomer to the lore of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. You’ll be treated to a story that situates itself in a setting that hasn’t been used in the franchise so far, and it shows a lot of potential, which is not coming to fruition in this first album just yet. That being said, this album is certainly worth the read, as it involves a rather realistic setting that suits the AC series, but even with the political items currently present, you simply know that a lot of interesting fights are coming in the next issue(s). A mild start for this one, but we are giving it the benefit of the doubt, as this story holds a lot of potential.
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