The Kill Lock #1
Written by: Livio Ramondelli
Art and cover art by Livio Ramondelli
IDW Publishing
2019
Each found guilty of an irredeemable crime, four robots find themselves banished from their home world and bound together by the Kill Lock-a programming link that means if one of them dies, they all will. Now a soldier, an addict, a murderer, and a child find themselves forced to protect each other while in search of a cure to survive.
The Kill Lock reminds me of a famous scene from Watchmen, the “You’re locked in here with me!” monologue, which I mean 100% as a compliment. I do think that reading how this rag-tag team of specialty robots complete or fail their quest will be interesting, and I’m sure they will see some wacky adventures, but what appealed most to me, almost right away, was how they’re going to manage not to kill each other. I think that really sets the series up to be something fascinating.
And while the story may shine, the art is no slouch either. The designs are excellent, and the backgrounds and scenery are well drawn, atmospheric, and fitting throughout. Being stuck on an ice planet could easily be a cop out for lots of white backgrounds, but that’s never the case here. There are plenty of shadows and highlights, as well as snow flurries, and the effect is that the backgrounds are never flat or boring. That extra effort really pays off. And the light effects on the robots are beyond impressive.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading, and this wasn’t a comic I would pick up for myself. I am glad, though, that I get to review so many stories I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise. For selfish reasons, of course, but also because I can share this excitement with others. I can see how this might be a book you’d normally overlook, but I’m telling you that would be a mistake. It’s about far more than killer robots, and it looks great panel after panel. You should check it out, end of story.
The Robot Real World
The Kill Lock has something unique right from the start - the story of beings who cannot help but being what they area, trying to get along with others utterly unlike them. Sure, there's probably going to be fights and explosions and other excitement, but seeing how the robots work their own things out is likely to be the most fun part of the series.
Brian Reed
Brian has been reading comics since January, 1987, when the death of Optimus Prime rocked his young world. Once a regular presenter on The Nerdstravaganza Podcast, Brian now writes for Florida Geek Scene.
