Romulus, Vol. 1

This middling series opener by Hill (Postal) and Blake (Magdalena) pits Ash, a young woman raised as a weapon, against the organization Romulus, her former employers and secret masters of the world. Although Ash is one of a number of women trained to fight and kill for Romulus, the organization suddenly turns on them. When the pharmaceutically amped hunters kill Axis, Ash’s mother, Ash is left to fight Romulus alone, attempting to thwart the hunters by rescuing their targets. After she saves the life of brainy sidekick Nicholas Franklin, Ash is psychically contacted by a representative of the foes of Romulus, the Illuminati. Unfortunately, the Illuminati remain offstage, leaving the readers guessing as to why Ash should choose to ally herself with them. Ash consistently fails to control her anger while fighting and Nicholas has little backbone, rendering them minimally effective. Blake uses an appropriately subdued palette but his figures and action are a bit stiff. This series needs fleshing out in future volumes to make the story more gripping. (July)