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Review of "Dellec" from Aspen
By: David Raymond
Date: May 25, 2010

Publisher: Aspen Comics
Writer: Frank Mastromauro, Vince Hernandez
Art: Rob Stull, Micah Gunnel, Matt Hollingsworth
Genre: Adventure
Audience: T +13
Issue Reviewed: #0 - #4
Review Rating: 9/10

The spiritual warfare genre is a difficult one to reinvent. From Hellboy, Preacher, Hellblazer to Spawn it has been told several times over from many different perspectives. But DELLEC seems to have taken the best of the previous and built a strong storyline on top of it. We have the typical anti-hero who has a loose affiliation with the Catholic Church and from the beginning issues looks like an informal, personal relationship to God. It is still unknown if Dellec is actually conversing with a down-to-earth incarnation of God or is it just his conscience.

Dellec's motive and partial reason why he has powers are finally introduced in the third issue. Without giving away any spoilers I am left wondering if Dellec is actually evil or good, or more likely a mix of the two. He is able to take quite a beating and dish out more than he takes. But how did he acquire his fighting skills? Why is he able to take such a beating and keep moving? Is he purely human or does he have some sort of other-worldly power that seems to manifest in his weapons?

A foe is quickly introduced and it would seem to be a buildup of a story arc but is quickly dispatched thanks to Dellec's supernatural weapons. I was hoping the story would dive a bit deeper into the illegal fight club and the characters/players they were introducing and how the drug "Knockout" plays into everything. But after a few deaths Dellec seems to have moved onto another stage in his career and is after bigger fish. I guess that first story was just a way to introduce Dellec and what he is capable of. The story that lines up right afterwards is much bigger and better written. You have the mysterious arch nemesis and their minions to face off against. You have ties to Dellec from the church, from the past and to all the enemies he seems to face. It has not been explained yet but Dellc may have a tie to the crucifixion of Jesus. As to what role or tie Dellec may have to that is still yet to be defined but I am definitely curious. It was written in such a way I really want to find out what happens next.

The art is a mix of gritty realism mixed with a clean urban style. The action sequences are perfectly geared for today's audiences who have a very short attention span. The artists are able to convey quite a bit of movement without having to draw very much. The character designs are well developed and interesting.

Dellec is a good buy and I am excited to see what happens next and highly recommend you do the same.