Sons of Anarchy #1 Review

If you're a fan of FX's Sons of Anarchy, there's a good chance you caught the season six premiere last night, and if that wasn't enough SAMCRO for you, Boom Studio's comic book adaptation might be enough to tide you over. The book, written by Christopher Golden with art by Damian Couciero, shifts the center of the show's focus from the club's permanently conflicted leader, Jax Teller, to the equally troubled Tig Trager. The issue treads ground that is perhaps a touch too familiar as we watch Tig gradually spiral deeper into a swirling vortex of self-loathing and despair. There is, however, a new player in town to keep things interesting: Kendra, the long lost daughter of the late Kozik.

As an original character, Kendra has a lot to prove. Since there are five seasons worth of material serving as the foundation for the rest of the characters in the book, Golden has his work cut out for him when it comes to introducing Kendra. While her tie to the club through her father (may God rest his soul) is sound, she feels more like a convenient plot catalyst than anything else. When Kendra flees to Charming, she brings with her a cohort of felonious baddies, all of whom seem cut from the same cloth as previous SoA villains.

Visually, Couciero's art has a thematically appropriate sense of grit to it, but there's a disconnect between his work and the book's colors. Colorist Stephen Downer has chosen a heavily saturated, nearly neon aesthetic that does little to evoke the atmosphere of Charming in all its shabby glory.

While it's only the first issue and much is yet to be revealed, Sons of Anarchy #1 doesn't quite hit the Shakespearean high notes that the show embodies. That being said, I'm intrigued enough to stick around to find out what happens in next month's issue.

Melissa Grey is a lover of all things cats, comics, and outer space. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey.

 

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