REVIEW: Tax the Rich with 'Renato Jones The One%: Season One'
Story by: Kaare Kyle Andrews
Art by: Kaare Kyle Andrews
Publisher: Image Comics
Comic creator Kaare Kyle Andrews goes beyond the notoriety he orchestrated in Spider-Man: Reign. He channels his inner thoughts on the current socioeconomic and cultural realities of the world in the graphic medium, alongside the obvious fusion of The Punisher and a certain Caped Crusader no-holds-barred-vigilante-approached in his initial, creator-owned and seminal work, RENATO JONES […]
Posted January 14, 2017 by Paul Ramos
Comic creator Kaare Kyle Andrews goes beyond the notoriety he orchestrated in Spider-Man: Reign. He channels his inner thoughts on the current socioeconomic and cultural realities of the world in the graphic medium, alongside the obvious fusion of The Punisher and a certain Caped Crusader no-holds-barred-vigilante-approached in his initial, creator-owned and seminal work, RENATO JONES THE ONE%: SEASON ONE. It is published and released by the leading independent comic publishing, Image Comics and contained issues #1 to #5 of sheer rage against greedy capitalists.
Kaare Kyle admits this series is an "angry" creation due to the fact that "greed" among capitalists nowadays is already the norm despite their continuing denials of being responsible of shrinking the already precarious middle-class and the widening chasm between their class and the downtrodden, especially in the age of globalization. To make things more interesting, Kaare Kyle applies liberally the best/worst characteristics of some iconic superheroes like Frank Castle and Bruce Wayne to form another paradigm who is also a member of the ruling class, with a mentality of an avenging crusader against corporate exploitation and greediness. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Renato Jones! His parents were brutally killed. He inherited his parents' fabulous wealth. He is downright handsome. He has a butler in the molds of Alfred Pennyworth, except this fellow is brutal in indicting against the ruling status quo. And, he targets his own kind without any restraints or prejudice.This is akin of reading Karl Marx and Anton Gramsci's radical works, but in superhero and comix formats! That is why the protagonist's one-liner, "Choke On This!", is the summation of the main story's judgement to the irresponsible and guilty members of The One Percent.
This first chapter also highlights the character's origins via flashbacks, including his greatest challenge to his objective: a childhood and love interest. This bane is justified further on her belonging to Renato's primary target, creating an inner turmoil whether or otherwise he would pursue his lofty justice or his heart instead. This reminds yours truly how the creator delivered his scripts to the aforementioned Spiderman book for that emotional conflict is both subtle and overt, but neither downright mushy nor corny at all. I like how Kyle colors the dialogues and letters to distinguish the voices of the primary characters and the supporting casts. His Renato Jones's balloons are black to connote the protagonist's mission against the ruling status quo. In short, his dialogues range from lyrical to profane.
Kyle draws, inks and colors this entire series, a rarity among others in the comic industry, similar to Frank Miller's entire Sin City collection. Unlike Miller's dark, brooding, gritty and grand tour d'force masterpiece, Kyle's overall artwork is almost an opposite for he applies plenty of primary colors to distinguish daylight scenes to night falls; utilizes some degree of thickness in his inks; and distinguishes his letters to the point of identifying his characters, their emotional and rhetorical thoughts, and the deliveries, as well. Of course, Kyle has presented lots of decadence committed by the oppressive socioeconomic masters that definitely makes this book a truly mature masterpiece, in addition to the tremendous displays of bloodshed, profanity and lots of innuendos.
Some of us may find this opus more hypocritical towards to the upper-class because not everyone in that club is as exploitative, greedy, manipulative and callous as what the book portrays. Actually, if one observes closely on the targets Renato Jones chooses, one can pinpoint that these capitalists involved are indeed guilty of oppressing the working-middle-class, exploiting the laws to their favor, and being greedy on just everything else while pretending to be "visionaries", "philanthropists", and being called as "job-creators". Contradictions are virtually omnipresent. Even Karl Marx was a contradictory fellow, bad-mouthing capitalism, religion and nationalism, while enjoying some of the best the bourgeoisie class could offer. Renato Jones is even so, but the bottom lime here is he aims on the abusive ones, not the socially-conscious and responsible types.
RENATO JONES THE ONE%: SEASON ONE is the first creator-owned by Kaare Kyle Andrews for the Image Comics. The plot and script are very straightforward: an "angry book" to the prevailing oppression of the so-called "1%". Combining the relevant socioeconomic and cultural thoughts of Marx, Gramsci to Howard Zinn to the explosiveness found in the superhero figures like The Punisher and The Dark Knight, Renato Jones The One%: Season One delivers the angst-ridden feelings against the greediness of the very few, and at the same time, make us think/reflect to become responsible to the people, for the people, and by the people. TAX THE RICH!!!
Image Comics Kaare Kyle Andrews Renato Jones The One%: Season One
Paul Ramos
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