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dermbrau's review
3.0
I feel like this book squandered to great premises. The set up about two shady characters who collect the hands of bodies on Everest so they could find living family members to extort cash for their retrieval is pretty interesting on its own. But the book abandons this story almost immediately for a spy thriller that sets up a cat and mouse chase on Everest. Another good premise that is ultimately side lined for extended flashbacks to a much less interesting story.
What I can't overlook is that the Agency's motivations make no sense. They think they are looking for a living person, but find out not only is this person dead, but he the body is on Everest unlikely ever to be moved. To me that's mission complete right there. Yes the body has agency secrets hidden in it but there is no reason to think the agency are aware of this.
But then comes the second problem. Okay, they are deadset on getting the body. They meet a guy, who knows where the body is, is okay working in legal they areas and literally retrieves bodies from Everest for a living. So the Agency can pay this guy to get the body right? Or torture him, hold him at gunpoint, cut off his hand and force him to take inexperienced climbers to get the body.
To do something he already does. All the time. With one other person. For money, which the agency seems to have a lot of.
They picked torture, for no good story reason. There is no reason the two shady people who work outside the law wouldn't have helped if they just asked. And Haskell wasn't aware of who the person was. They could have posed as his family. Or not. He's there for the payday.
What I can't overlook is that the Agency's motivations make no sense. They think they are looking for a living person, but find out not only is this person dead, but he the body is on Everest unlikely ever to be moved. To me that's mission complete right there. Yes the body has agency secrets hidden in it but there is no reason to think the agency are aware of this.
But then comes the second problem. Okay, they are deadset on getting the body. They meet a guy, who knows where the body is, is okay working in legal they areas and literally retrieves bodies from Everest for a living. So the Agency can pay this guy to get the body right? Or torture him, hold him at gunpoint, cut off his hand and force him to take inexperienced climbers to get the body.
To do something he already does. All the time. With one other person. For money, which the agency seems to have a lot of.
They picked torture, for no good story reason. There is no reason the two shady people who work outside the law wouldn't have helped if they just asked. And Haskell wasn't aware of who the person was. They could have posed as his family. Or not. He's there for the payday.
mehitabels's review
3.0
Random pickup while perusing library, and surprised myself by really liking it.
Good art, and while the story is faintly ridiculous, I felt firmly justified in continuing to despise people who climb Everest. WTF? All that wasted money and effort to destroy a landscape with garbage and dead bodies, and for what? Grrrrr
Good art, and while the story is faintly ridiculous, I felt firmly justified in continuing to despise people who climb Everest. WTF? All that wasted money and effort to destroy a landscape with garbage and dead bodies, and for what? Grrrrr
saltycorpse's review
4.0
Everest noir/thriller with secret agents and a game of cat-and-mouse while summiting the tallest peak in the world.
haleymonkey5000's review
5.0
So y'all know I got to start by saying I love the art, because I do, it's beautiful and I'm an art nerd so yeah. That's that. Now onto the book itself, Zan is an ex-Olympian who is part of shady grave robber deals on Everest. Her and her partner Haskell are targeted by the government when they find secrets on a body of a "discharged" spy/assassin. Throughout the book, we learn of Zan's many personal demons and downfalls which greatly impact her current life and her choices to get out of this mess. The story slowly builds up to reveal more of the main characters, especially Haskell who is kind of like a father figure to Zan and would do anything to save her in the end. Some people say this is too long or drawn out, however I personally think the length is a plus and just adds onto this phenomenal work.
sherpawhale's review
4.0
What a phenomenal read... absolutely random pick-up, but once I saw the introduction by Rucka, I had to read it. Reminds me of some of the best from Brubaker and Philips.
A story about obsession and the unattainable thirst for something monumental. The idea of... something, far off. The art was fantastic, really made use of the medium and could not be told as thoroughly in print.
A story about obsession and the unattainable thirst for something monumental. The idea of... something, far off. The art was fantastic, really made use of the medium and could not be told as thoroughly in print.
toastx2's review
4.0
High Crimes: MK Ultra at the top of the world
This was a seriously cool comic. Just trust me. Check retailers or your library. There is a Feb 2019 Image Comics current release by Christopher Sebeka and Ibrahim Moustafa. 200+ pages.
Suzanne is a drug addicted Olympic medalist. She took the hit to her pride and ran from the paparazzi and Olympic comittee in order to stop the stripping of her medals, they are the last thing she is proud of after allowing her life to turn to shit.
Suzanne now lives in the Himalayas, teamed up to earn a paycheck as an Everest guide. It takes a month to get to the top and back. It is dangerous to hit the summit. It takes gear, patience, and a bit of luck to make it, while the last couple days is effectively a race to suffocation and brain damage.
Suzanne and her partner come across bodies of failed climbers. Bringing bodies down is not something you do out of kindness. It costs money, time, and risk to bring a body back. Instead they collect a hand for finger printing and any identification available. Reaching out to ask for funding to bring back the bodies. Families hate them for this and call the callous and cold, mercenaries and assholes.
The fingerprints of the most recently found corpse trigger an international black ops data net. The hand belongs to a missing rogue agent. Hidden on his body are microfilm secrets that the US government are willing to torture and kill for.
This was a seriously cool comic. Just trust me. Check retailers or your library. There is a Feb 2019 Image Comics current release by Christopher Sebeka and Ibrahim Moustafa. 200+ pages.
Suzanne is a drug addicted Olympic medalist. She took the hit to her pride and ran from the paparazzi and Olympic comittee in order to stop the stripping of her medals, they are the last thing she is proud of after allowing her life to turn to shit.
Suzanne now lives in the Himalayas, teamed up to earn a paycheck as an Everest guide. It takes a month to get to the top and back. It is dangerous to hit the summit. It takes gear, patience, and a bit of luck to make it, while the last couple days is effectively a race to suffocation and brain damage.
Suzanne and her partner come across bodies of failed climbers. Bringing bodies down is not something you do out of kindness. It costs money, time, and risk to bring a body back. Instead they collect a hand for finger printing and any identification available. Reaching out to ask for funding to bring back the bodies. Families hate them for this and call the callous and cold, mercenaries and assholes.
The fingerprints of the most recently found corpse trigger an international black ops data net. The hand belongs to a missing rogue agent. Hidden on his body are microfilm secrets that the US government are willing to torture and kill for.
glitterandtwang's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this - that the forward was written by Greg Rucka is no coincidence. It's a bleak but compelling noir story that takes place on Everest, which adds a unique twist and some unexpectedly high stakes.
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