REX is a story of rage and revenge. The dark, smoky art fits seamlessly with the plot, and adds to the blend of harsh realities and dark fantasies.

The opening page consists of song lyric-like passages which you see later in the story, right away setting an interesting tone for the book and leaving the reader unsure of where this story is going to go. The book jumps around in time, but the first scene gives enough background for the reader to learn about our protagonist, Bill Orlowski, also known as Rex.

Orlowski was a straight cop in a crooked city. After trying to take down the drug-running police chief, he was framed for trafficking and sent to prison for seven years. Everyone knows what happens to cops in jail, especially the good cops. Orlowski was beaten, mutilated and raped by villains he arrested, and the murky black and gray pencil lines emphasize the brutality of the scenes.

What happened to him in prison broke him, and essentially the man Bill Orlowski was died in jail. To exact his revenge, he had to become something more than a man. He started pumping some serious iron, and (seemingly) all of a sudden he’s Rex, the one-eyed, gun-toting anti-hero, who is apparently impossible to kill. Disbelief must be suspended to fully enjoy the story of Rex’s revenge as he survives bullets, explosions and drowning in an effort to kill those who killed him, as well as say goodbye to the woman he loved.

The most poignant scene in the book was a flashback. Ida, his love, the only one he believed in, tried to visit him in prison, only he refused to come and see her. She stood at the gate, a lone tear falling down her face. Right underneath that panel shows Orlowski, sharing that same tear, both mourning the death of a man.

The dramatic, shadowy lines meant close-ups of faces were hard to make out. The passages which seem to be song lyrics obviously tied into the story by dropping the name Rex, but their meaning was still vague and enigmatic. Truthfully I found the book a bit difficult to follow at first. Yet despite the gratuitous use of naked lady posters and the occasional blatant product placement, it is impractical to write this story off as a simple, shoot ‘em up revenge bit. The butterflies which not-so subtly represent Orlowski’s transformation to Rex are not the only symbolic tool used in this book. The primal emotion conveyed on some of the character’s faces is striking. There’s also just the slightest touch of humor in one memorable scene where Rex comes face to face with the man who put him in jail.

REX swoops in, punches you in the gut and swans on out without a hint of an apology. It can be a bit cliché at times, and not all of the scenes are easy to understand, but Zezelj makes it impossible not to take something from this book. Brian Azzarello, who wrote the forward, put it best: REX is raw. Most certainly not a typical prison break story, REX is nonetheless a powerful and emotional book that leaves a lasting impression.

Avril Brown