5 out of 5

Man, when Kek-W is focused, he can really deliver a killer tale, and John Burns painted art is a masterful showing of the form, straddling the grace of his medium and the fluidity of traditional comic work.  Angel Zero is another great example of why the Meg floppies are a golden idea: This story is a true gem, and whether it’s your first go or you’re revisiting it, it’s a free bonus read of something that would otherwise be lost in back issues.

The basic premise – a once-super soldier trying to lead a normal life, only to get drawn back into the shit – is usual enough, but its the tale-teller’s telling of it that makes it special.  The way that Kek starts us off in seeming Americana pastoral before opening us up to sci-fi elements via technology details, then branching further out into conspiracy and thriller when people from her past track down our lead, Angel, is page-flippingly engaging, roped in to a comprehensible whole by keeping the plot focused on the chase and not trying to overstuff with world-building (a hiccup that would later arise with the same team’s The Order).  Burns does the same evolving trick with the art such that we never feel out of sorts: We’re on a farm, in a city, in a spaceship, and it always fits.  In part, I think this was successful because the duo didn’t go too out there; they took a big concept but kept it grounded to human representatives – nothing too alien, nothing too hoodoo.

Boiled down: A laser-focused story that delivers on character and action, and amazingly rich art that’s true to the artist’s style without sacrificing any of the story’s beats or momentum.