I hadn’t gotten my hands on Razorjack until now. Sounds painful, but true. John Higgins has worked on Watchmen, Judge Dredd and Batman but Razorjack is his project. It was published first by Com.X back in 1999. More recently Titan Comics has collected extra material and republished in a lovely glossy hardback.
Razorjack is certainly very pretty – but in a horror flavoured comic sort of way. The Razorjack character looks like a cross between a skin-tight suit superhero, a Predator and a Cenobite. Sure, she’s got the curves but she’s not pretty. It’s the art that works for me.
Actually, Cenobite is a good word to keep floating around in your mind when it comes to dealing with Razorjack. I read it first when I was tired. It didn’t sink it. I liked it but it didn’t sink in. It read again when I wasn’t tired. It sunk in more but had lost its first-time wow factor. Perhaps that speaks to the tricky place Higgins is trying to pitch this story into.
Razorjack is a demonic ruler of another realm. She’s pretty much tied up all the challenges to her power but there’s a tiny glimmer of hope left in an angelic figure known as Lady Helen.
Meanwhile, on Earth, in our dimension two things are happening. Detectives Ross and Frame are investigating some cult killings and some luckless students are acting out a ritual as part of a play.
This ritual opens up the portal between Razorjack’s queendoms and our world. This could let all sorts of evil through.
The challenge for the reader is that the action flicks back and forth between dimensions and the “why any of it matters” moment is deep into the book. Until then it’s just enjoying the art and coping with the frantic plot by making the connections yourself. That’s why Cenobite is a good word to keep in mind for Razorjack. Is Razorjack like a Cenobite? If that penny drops early then it’s easier to latch onto the plot but it comes at the cost of stereotyping Higgins’ character. Tough one.
I think Razorjack is the sort of graphic novel that a GM should hand around before a horror RPG kicks off. It’s the book that a gamer could read while someone else in the party finishes off his character sheet. It stirs the imagination and despite all the violence is sleek and pretty.
My copy of Razorjack was provided for review. Razorjack, Titan Comics, £14.99 by John Higgins.
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