Espionage is one of the toughest genres to create original work within. Generally speaking, it is constrained by the realities of the world that we leave in. For instance, if a writer wants to create an organization for spying which is not the C.I.A. then it is still going to be a lot like the C.I.A. Treadstone, I.M.F. and S.H.I.E.L.D. may not be exactly the C.I.A. but they are pretty close and they help define the worlds which they are based in. As this reality of writing in this genre relates to this issue, it faces a challenging task to start with, as this is a story based in current times around a C.I.A. operative.
In Butterfly, the character Rebecca is introduced initially with a strong link to her past, though this is quickly discarded to look at her present. In the first of a number of clichéd occurrences the character finds out that she has been double crossed and then discovers that most of her handlers are dead. This puts her onto a journey where she is forced to resort to her spycraft and to find out why this has happened to her.
Despite the challenges that this story faces, there are a few redeeming factors. The first is the contemporary setting versus the overall atmosphere. That is to say that while the story could compete with the likes of a Jason Bourne or James Bond story, it doesn’t. Instead it seems to want to channel John Le Carre, Ken Follett and Frederick Forsythe with a story and visual that is reminiscent more of the Cold War than it is of the digital age. The second advantage to the writing is the choice of characters and characterization. The main female lead is well written, and her past is fleshed out in a way to make her both engaging and mysterious.
All told, the story ends up a bit in the middle in terms of a reading experience. The story is constrained by a lack of much new, but the writers have done what they can to put their own spin on the story and genre, and have come up with something different and intriguing. The art is especially well handled in this issue. While the artistic style would be out of place in a superhero story, it is a natural fit here and does almost as much for the story as the writing. The end result is that this is worth a look, even if it has gone to well-trodden territory
Story: Arash Amel and Marguerite Bennett Art: Antonio Fuso
Story: 7.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.4 Recommendation: Read
BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.
