Who doesn’t love a great origin story? Especially when it comes to a beloved character! One such character is John Wick. His film debut should have been just another movie about assassins but was so much more. It was both sophisticated and action packed. A rare combination in action movies, it worked so well that it has spawned sequels with a third coming this year. The most alluring part of the story is the mythology that is introduced. It’s like none ever seen in any story about assassins.

As the vernacular, the rules they live by, the world that is built inside these movies has made Keanu Reeves a second life as an action movie star. The protagonist is as interesting as any that could be onscreen these days, both complex and heartfelt. I always wondered how did he get into his world in the first place? How did he get familiar? How was his experience? In the first volume of John Wick we find out just how he got into this world and how he became who he is.

We find in El Paso, Texas, on a job where he deals with antagonizers and we get a glimpse of who John was when he was a kid. This is where we find out this particular job was personal, as we also meet a younger Charron, were it was a professional job for him. We also find that there is more than one Hotel Continental, this one being in El Paso, as he finds out about the rules that every assassin lives by, and what can and cannot go down within hotel walls.

Overall, an interesting origin story for a well-liked movie character, one that lives in infamy and legend. The story by Greg Pak is explosive and innovative. The art by Giovanni Valletta is alluring. Altogether, an engaging story that does more to introduce the audience to this world than the movies.

Story: Greg Pak Art: Giovanni Valletta
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy