6-issue mini-series published by Top Cow Written by Mark Millar Illustrated by J.G. Jones
MANILA, Philippines—There are faithful movie adaptations, and then there’s “Wanted,” the action-packed movie directed by Timur Bekmambetov (“Night Watch”). Starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman, it ripped through theaters with the impact of a barrage of bullets. Supposedly based on the comic book mini-series of the same name, the movie’s assassin versus assassin morality tale is leagues away from the contents of the graphic novel. Although it keeps the names of Wesley Gibson and “The Fox,” as well as a few broad story strokes and themes, everything else is radically different, much to the chagrin of the book’s fans.
Bring on the bad guys
While the idea of assassins shooting it out is interesting, the book’s original concept had the potential for being more cinematic. The world of “Wanted” the comic book is one where super villains have successfully killed or disabled the world’s superhero population. To ensure control of their prize, the world’s top villains were able to erase all memories of the existence of super villains from the public’s consciousness. Now the villains rule in the shadows, getting a cut from all of the illegal activities around the world.
Loser
The story kicks off with the assassination of The Killer, the world’s most lethal assassin. Like the movie, The Killer is suckered by a team of decoy assassins, but where the movie version has him being shot from a mile away, The Killer in the comic is shot by a bullet fired two cities away.
As for Wesley Gibson? He’s still a loser, but this time, with no assassin on his tail, he’s simply picked up by The Fox (who looks more like Halle Berry in the movie “Catwoman”) while buying a sandwich. The Killer has no problems here with Gibson taking up his mantle, he in fact encourages it. The only way Gibson will get his father’s inheritance is by successfully serving as bodyguard of Prof. Solomon Seltzer, a midget with a Lex Luthor complex, for six months.
Don’t worry, he can still shoot the wings off several flies.
Take over, break’s over
Things go down the crapper quickly when Mr. Rictus (Think the Joker after a resurrection that leaves him convinced that there’s no afterlife) finally gets tired of ruling in secret and decides to stage a coup. Rictus launches an assault on all of the villains loyal to Prof. Seltzer, killing most of them, including Seltzer, leaving only Gibson and The Fox to “save” the world.
The comic book version of “Wanted” is definitely more violent than its adaptation. It also has a smaller conscience too. There is no “kill one to save a thousand” mantra here, just lots and lots of killing. When bad guys rule over the world, restless villains can do anything they want and it will just be hushed up by the government.
The bigger thrill is the villain versus villain battles, which take up nearly two issues. If you can imagine Marvel and DC villains slugging it out in an R-rated film, you won’t be too far off.
However, the book has a heart as well. A lot more emphasis is given to the relationship of Gibson and his deceased father, and his mother who “turned him into a wimp” for fear that he would become like his super-killer dad. In fact, the last issue of the mini-series is all talk, a lengthy look-back on Gibson’s childhood and the world that the super villains crafted. It’s definitely a touch more poignant, but that doesn’t mean that the comic has lost its edge. The series ends with a breaking of the fourth wall, which, thankfully, the movie adaptation did not do away with.
Sharp as a razor
The book benefits from the seamy art of J.G. Jones, which perfectly complements Millar’s dark script. There’s a lot of shadows that hide parts of the characters, a statement that illustrates wordlessly that everyone is flawed in this book. Jones also runs with the idea that this is a world without superheroes quite well. It’s definitely rewarding for fans of the genre to look at the detail-rich panels and see “Oh, that dead guy looks like Martian Manhunter” or “That villain resembles Parasite and over there is Braniac” and so on. There’s a lot of dark, muddy colors but there’s an in-story reason for that, a nice touch. It’s a stark contrast to more traditional comic books with their bright colors.
“Wanted” is definitely a must-read if you like superhero comics, if only for the sharp deconstruction of the genre by Millar and Jones. But it’s also a nice partner piece for fans of the movie, even if you don’t like comics. Just like the mini-series where villains from time to time invade a parallel world that still has superheroes (“for fun”), the movie can be like a parallel world version of “Wanted.” Equally thrilling and equally wanted.
