Extremity by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer has been described as Studio Ghibli meets Mad Max. The comic focuses on Thea, a princess, who is known to have great artistic talent. One day her village is attacked by the Paznina, who killed her mother and cut off her hand, thus halting her artistic ability. With losing her mother and her hand Thea, and her village, decided to focus on seeking revenge against the Paznina one at a time.
The Good:
The comic does an excellent job of showing how Thea has transformed from being innocent to becoming ruthless. We witness Thea’s innocence at the start of the comic as she makes it clear that she was once referred to as the greatest artist in her clan. This title gave her respect and prestige in her village. This all changed when her village was attacked and her hand was cut off by Paznina General Asmund. Without her hand she has not been able to draw as she once did and is not the greatest artist in her clan anymore. When she lost her hand, her mother was also killed, resulting in her losing family during the attack. Both of these incidents have shifted Thea’s ideology from being innocent to supporting and participating in a war against the Paznina. Thea is tasked with flying ahead of the main fighting force to disable the enemy’s power generator, allowing for the main fighting force to surprise the enemy and to gain revenge. With the enemy captured we see Thea personally take revenge for what General Asmund has done to her as she cuts off both of his hands. Thus we see Thea lose her innocence and replace it with revenge due to the events and situations that have shaped her life. This comic does an excellent job of conveying how this has occurred, all while hinting that this is only the beginning.
The Bad:
The comic despite being described as a Studio Ghibi-Mad Max fusion does not feel that way. Rather, it feels more along the lines of Lake on Fire meets Outlaw Star. As a result, the initial expectation of this comic was misleading and it did not hit the mark on how it was described. Secondly, the comic felt extremely rushed as we extensively addressed Thea’s backstory, how her innocent has changed, and how she got her revenge. Yet, in going through all of this it feels somewhat unearned as we only were introduced to the character in this issue. Going through all of this there is a disconnection that misses the mark of what a good comic achieves.
The Verdict:
As an anime fan when a person throws the label of Studio Ghibli onto something it better be up to that standard of work. This comic was not even in the same genre of that studio and what they typically do. It is a major turn off for me as a fan of anime and comics when something like this occurs. The issue itself, while fast paced, felt rushed and similar to several comics that are currently being produced several from Image Comics. The comic, while being rough, does do an excellent job of truly showing Thea’s transition from innocence to being ruthless and obtaining a revenge mentality. This comic started off on the wrong foot with it’s description, and while developing a great character, Thea, it is either a hit or miss type of comic.
