KOMIKS REVIEW: Tabas (Chapter 1 & 1.5)
Set in the Philippines 10 years after World War III, a young traveler not only needs to go through the post-apocalyptic terrain of Manila, but also be wary of all those after his head to fulfill his mission of bringing a holy message to the north. Rampage Comics‘ Tabas is named after the Ilokano term for machete, the weapon that the hero wields and uses to slash his enemies’ heads off in this 28-page comic of B&W action and gore.
There could be a lot of inspiration Patrick “Rawwrr” Enrique used to come up with this comic. Whether there really is one or not, I’m not sure. However, I am certain that this comic has the scent of several works such as Hokuto no Ken‘s post-apocalyptic wanderer, or The Book of Eli‘s faith-grounded mission albeit I couldn’t have realized the religious theme had I not read the foreword or flipped until I get to chapter 1.5. Got no complaints with the similarities though as seeing a man with a machete hack heads off while traversing destroyed Manila streets got my interest. Plus I certainly don’t mind seeing villains and tattoo artists named as priests and Filipino swears and cuss thrown here and there.
Enrique has a clear idea of what he wants the viewer to see. His paneling and transition from macro to zoomed out scenes helped with laying down the intensity and at the same time made the exchange of cuss words quite enjoyable. Although there were pages where the figures, shadows and details are a bit off, in my head I was able to picture clearly how the fights are going. On the other hand, the backgrounds could use some work since the rough rubble that’s left of Manila after a World War could definitely be a strength for the comic’s artwork.
Even though Tabas could use some improvement in several departments, it’s first chapter got the pace going with its pages filled with witty dialogues and heavy action. By chapter 1.5 some light has been shed on the hero’s background, but still the story needs to pick up since there’ll be a few issues left. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of bible-themed comics or any other media that deals with religious shiznits, but Rawwrr‘s Tabas could keep me reading as long as he’d keep the violence and gore going.
