Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: boom studios, drama, Far Cry 5, grass kings, hilary jenkins, matt kindt, Tyler Jenkins, ubisoft

Grass Kings #13 Review: The Inversion of Ubisoft's Far Cry 5

We see how hostile Sheriff Humbert Sr. and Jr. are to the Grass Kingdom, and we learn of their desperation to pin the "Thin-Air Murders" on the residents of the Kingdom. In the present, federal law enforcement comes down on the Grass Kingdom. They want Archie, but they're willing to bring the entire village down to get him.

Grass Kings serves as a perfect inverse to Ubisoft's upcoming Far Cry 5 in a weird way, and I'm glad I took the opportunity to check this series out this close to the release of that game. Grass Kings presents an ideal small and sovereign village, and the story focuses on the tragedy of its collapse when being challenged by the U.S government. Far Cry 5 presents a county that's being ruled by a white supremacist religious cult, and the game will be played from the perspective of those tasked with bringing the cult down.

While I won't deny that there is something intriguing about a game that takes on a militant alt-right cult holding a community under its control, I also can't deny the appeal of the rebellious spirit that specifically Grass Kings presents. It's a community of the downtrodden and outcasts that tired of the world that was beating them down. Admittedly, there is only one person of color among the cast, but they are still not rejecting or condemning her like the antagonists of Far Cry 5 would.

As such, the rebellious spirit of Grass Kings allows for the brutal assault of the federal government in #13 to be heartbreaking and sad to watch, and the residents of the Grass Kingdom are easy to root for in this conflict. In a way, many of us want to be them and would want our sovereignty preserved.

I am entirely aware of the problems such actions as creating a "Grass Kingdom" would present; it wasn't that long ago that a group of armed white men took over an Oregon wildlife preserve. The Grass kingdom isn't exactly that, but it's not too far off either.

Thankfully, this issue was mostly action, so I could digress into that comparison and pontification without losing much in the way of critiquing this specific issue.

Tyler and Hilary Jenkins's ethereal and faded artwork coincides perfectly with the story. Tyler's penciling and inking leaves the world looking lost, fading, and barely there. Hilary uses softer shades for most of the world to reinforce that lost feeling.

Grass Kings #13 is an emotional and action-packed read that draws on recent events to leave you thinking about the rightness of its characters and the world they live in. Matt Kindt has written another interesting and provocative piece with this one, and I recommend giving it a read.

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