The Musical Battle For Tokyo In Murder Falcon #7
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Taka explains the origins of Magnum Khaos to Brooticus while on their naval ride to Tokyo, Japan. When they arrive on shore, they are greeted by an orchestral battalion ready to do musical battle against the Veldar. Jake and Murder Falcon are still injured, and Taka’s allies do everything they can to heal them both. Suddenly, another massive Veldar appears in Tokyo. Jake and Murf are still out of commission, so it is up to Taka, Kitori Ito, and the Tokyo Musical Defense Force to buy a master Luthier works to bring Jake and Murf back into the action.
Murder Falcon #7 is another empowering and engaging issue of the metalhead series. Brooticus find new allies in Tokyo, and this just may be the place where everyone must make their final stand.
The first half of the comic does drag a bit; we are introduced to myriad new characters and concepts which take the attention away from the central conflict of Jake, his friends, and their personal struggles. Magnum Khaos and the Veldar work as a metaphor for the personal traumas the members of Brooticus have experienced, and taking the attention away from their attempted recovery makes the comic less viscerally enjoyable.
That said, things kick back up in the second half. The Tokyo Musical Defense Force get a moment to be awesome before Jake and Murf take the stage again. There’s an especially powerful moment in the final few pages which almost brought a tear to my eye.
Daniel Warren Johnson’s artwork continues to be creative, appealing, and grabbing. We get to see more musical conjurations from the Japanese musicians, and the new Veldar has a great design. A lot of it almost seems to be drawing from Pacific Rim–which is in itself a massive send-up to the history of Japanese kaiju film. It all looks great, and it’s helped greatly by Mike Spicer’s color work.
Murder Falcon #7, despite a rocky start, proves to be another milestone issue for this wild yet emotionally resonant story of metal and monsters. Daniel Warren Johnson wows me every issue, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes from here. This one gets a strong recommendation. Check it out.
Murder Falcon #7 comes to us from writer, artist, and cover artist Daniel Warren Johnson, color artist Mike Spicer, and letterer Rus Wooton.