Absolution

Nina Ryan was a hired killer who murdered over 150 people for the Boisseau Cartel before she was caught by the authorities.  She would’ve been put to death, except things are a little different in this near-future world.  Neurological examination revealed lesions on her brain that, when removed, took away her homicidal impulses.  This didn’t get her exonerated, no, it just gave her a shot at Absolution.  That’s what they call the state-sanctioned murder of criminals for the public to watch, comment on, and enjoy by voting on whether or not their chosen participant gets to live at the end of the day.  It’s Nina’s new life, and her new normal self is questioning whether or not it’s worth participating in.

“Absolution” is granted to us by writer Peter Milligan and artist Mike Deodato Jr., two seasoned industry veterans with one big difference between them.  That’d be their consistency with respect to their chosen profession.  Deodato has honed his style into a detailed, gritty look that favors high action but can also deliver on tense conversation scenes and is easily recognizable at this point in his chosen career.  You know what to expect from him as an artist at this point and his work on this series doesn’t disappoint.

Milligan, on the other hand, has been consistently uneven over the course of his career.  He’s had highs like “B.A.D. Company,” “Human Target,” and “X-Statix” in his record, along with plenty of misfires like “The Programme” and “The Names.”  “Absolution” is more of the latter than the former, I’m sad to say.  You get the feeling that this is meant to be one big castigation of our media and violence obsessed society, but there’s no real trace of anger here.  Just a lot of talking points being regurgitated over and over again.  Nina also doesn’t evolve into a compelling protagonist as she spends most of the story in a maudlin state of depression that doesn’t get you to care about her.  It’s enough to make you wish that we were reading about the Nina who existed before her brain lesions were removed, and that we’d got a version of Milligan with enough guts to write that story.