Review: Murder Falcon
Quick Summary
Pros: The main storyline is over-the-top and fun in a way that really suits the tone of this book. This narrative is also tense and exciting. Alongside the book’s action is a more emotional story with a meaningful message. The artwork looks good and is a solid complement to the story.
Cons: The book’s message is a bit too obvious in a few places.
Overall: In this book about monsters, music, and love, readers are treated to an incredibly satisfying combination of story elements. In some places, this book is a action-packed thrill ride that celebrates the over-the-top nature of metal music. In other places, it is an emotional roller coaster that exposes a lesson about love and loss. Anyone with a slight interest in any of these concepts or the concept of embracing darkness to overcome darkness should seriously consider picking up this book.
Story
Murder Falcon, by Daniel Warren Johnson, is ridiculous, over-the-top, and unbelievable, all in the best way possible. It is a comic that celebrates metal music and the culture that comes with it, which leads to a story that is as in-your-face as you would expect it to be. However, it also manages to be surprisingly sweet and meaningful. While reading, fans will experience a story of love and loss with a powerful message about overcoming grief. The combination of these incredibly compelling elements makes for a story that is entertaining all the way through.
(spoilers start here)
The core of Murder Falcon is centered around a battle between monstrous beings from another dimension invading Earth, where they are completely immune to traditional weaponry. Instead, they are opposed by a metal band, who’s music is able to power heroes with the ability to fight the monsters. This leads to over-the-top battles with nonstop action, such as demons being impaled on the tusks of giant woolly mammoths or a falcon blowing up or slicing apart monsters.
This level of action makes for a fun read. Watching these ridiculous events play out is a tremendously satisfying experience, especially since every scene seems to try and one-up the scene before it. Plus, the adventure always makes it feel like the heroes are massive underdogs in a war that threatens all of mankind, which really ups the stakes and keeps tensions high. In the end, the fighting is so successful that readers could enter this book for the action alone and still be happy.
However, Murder Falcon has more to offer than just action. While these battles play out, a deeply personal story about loss and self-isolation is also playing out. As fans progress through this read, they learn that the main character, Jake, has been suffering from cancer for a while now and, because of this, has taken steps to isolate himself from the people he loves. This caused him to lose his girlfriend, dismiss his band, and enter a state of depression that prevented him from even doing what he loves most, playing his music. The narrative then offers Jake an outlet for his dark thoughts through metal music, which then allows him to reconnect with the people he loves. It is a powerful message that may come across a bit too obvious in a few places but is still very effective overall.
What makes this message even better is the way it is approached. For the first few chapters, readers are completely unaware of Jake’s condition. There are hints that he is suffering from some sort of trauma but nothing is completely clear. Then, as the story progresses, readers are given small pieces of information that slowly change their perspective on the situation. This really helps make specific moments, like Jake tossing aside his wig or making his way to metal-heaven, more powerful in a way that, honestly, gave me a few chills. In general, having a slow burn of information like this helps pull the reader into the story and makes for a more engaging experience.
(spoilers end here)
Art
It is always amazing to pick up a book written and illustrated by the same person because they are, typically, able to make these two elements work together in the most effective way possible, especially when that artist/illustrator is talented. The artwork in Murder Falcon is a perfect example of this blend between talents. Daniel Warren Johnson brings his own story to life with logically structured artwork that flows nicely. Some pages are densely packed with panels that allow for emotional reaction shots or more intricate fight scenes. Others are full page spreads with minimal dialogue/narration, which simply let an excellent moment speak for itself.
Daniel Warren Johnson’s specific art style also works really well with the content of this story. His gruff pencils and darker colors help give the book a gritty tone that matches the serious nature of the action. This artwork is also highly creative, as the extra-dimensional beings look as terrifying as possible and the heroes look as impressive as possible. It all really helps bring the world of Murder Falcon to life and give it the visual appeal it needs.
Continuity
Murder Falcon is an independent story that does not require any prior reading.
As of now, the story here does not continue anywhere.