Written by: Bruno De Roover
Illustrations: Romano Molenaar
Coloring: Joël Séguin
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
J.Rom: Force of Gold #5 Rode Sneeuw – Comic Book Review
Most of us will probably know that it’s not that wise to eat yellow colored snow, as it might contain a rather salty surprise. Nonetheless, with a title as ‘red snow’, the J.Rom album indicates that blood will be spilled, or perhaps has been spilled in J.Rom’s rather hectic past, which is still an unexplored territory for his closest friends. That aside, they will have to deal with a lunatic duo first, especially since they now have Pi under their control.
J.Rom’s encounter with Oskar, and the mind controlled Pi, has left the golden hero in a sorry state. Birdsong is taking a closer look at his mental health, and digs into his past while doing so, which sheds a light on why J.Rom is a mental wreckage. It seems in his past, there was a tragic event that caused him to alienate from his mother. Pretty much like another hero once said, “with great power comes great responsibility’, which seems to be J.Rom’s way of life.
Meanwhile Tinner has located where Pi is being held, but he also finds the location of Gently, who also had his run-in with the crazy duo that is currently pestering the city. Now he’ll have to decide to either trust Force, or stick with his own department. Choices to be made, and the longer he waits, the more unlikely it is for both parties to be saved.
As J.Rom is a man of few words, you’ll notice the pace is rather fast as there isn’t always that much to read. Nonetheless, J.Rom’s background is slowly being painted in a dramatic and intriguing way, showing how the once mushy strongman ended up this way. Bruno De Roover shows us a glimpse of who J.Rom used to be and how he is slowly succumbing to the pains of his past.
Romano Molenaar keeps the quality of the illustrations high in this album as well. Again you’ll be treated to a mix of traditional elements from more local series, while stepping into the territory of the American comics world. Detailed, gritty and appealing is the best way to describe this illustrators work. The coloring remains rather dark and grim, which is what drives this album, as it couldn’t all be lollypops and rainbows when a ‘bloodmoon’ is currently overseeing J.Rom’s version of Earth.
Conclusion
J.Rom: Force of Gold #5 Rode Sneeuw is the end of the second arc, but it’s clear that SU will continue this series because of its high popularity. The latter of course being the result of a great story driven adventure with one of our Belgian treasures in the lead. Since Amoras and Force of Gold we’ve been seeing ‘Jerom’ in a different light, and we have loved every minute (or page?) of it. A great conclusion to this second arc, and we’re looking forward to the next adventure.
J.Rom: Force of Gold #5 Rode Sneeuw – Comic Book Review,
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