Animosity Vol. 6 - King of Texas: the review
The vicissitudes of Jesse and Sandor, a little girl and her bloodhound become her adoptive father, are exacerbated by new violent and frightening events, as well as by secrets that have been kept silent for too long, which push to floats while the world burns with animal vengeance. So here is our review of Animosity Vol. 6 - King of Texas.
Where there is oil, there is war
Marguerite Bennett continues her story of a twisted world, from day in which all the animals on Earth began to consciously reason and speak, realizing that they could work their revenge on the men who had subjugated them for centuries. In this work, Bennett is once again joined by Rafael De Latorre, although the illustrations in this volume have been entrusted to Elton Thomasi.The protagonists of Animosity, Sandor, Zarzamora, Potter, Bethesda and Mittens, had set out, at the end of the fifth volume, to reach the rugged Texan lands in search of a lost companion, Ben, kidnapped by unknown men. The narrative then continues from their search, now in the land of ranches and oil. Here, however, they make a horrifying discovery: Ben was captured and brought before the three Kings of Texas (a man, a tiger and a bull), to take his place as a gladiator in their arena where they fight to the death. The wrestlers (all animals) are drugged and induced into a blind fury and Sandor realizes that there is only one way to save his friend: enter the arena and fight.
As the old bloodhound launches in the fray massacring the animals that dare to hinder him, Jesse is also about to reach the capital in the company of Lola, a young woman expert in poisons and chemicals whose knowledge will be decisive later on. Upon their arrival, however, Jesse sees with his eyes what his Sandor is capable of and realizes how fierce he really is. Both he and the others, however, cannot remain prisoners of this arena of death, so Jesse and Lola will devise a plan together to free their friends and all the other animals enslaved by the warlords, the three Kings of Texas. br>
Animosity Vol. 6 - King of Texas: an ever tougher journey
From the very beginning of Animosity it has been evident how Marguerite Bennett and Rafael De Latorre have chosen to be as candid as possible , also showing the wildest and most cruel aspects of animal nature (the bear that devours the seals, the hamster mother who sometimes eats the young, the violence of mating). However, in the volumes published so far, scenes of great tenderness that only the affection between man and animal can generate have alternated with the naked truth about how bestial laws work. However, at the sixth volume, the game gets tougher, the violence of the world erupts and overflows and no one is spared.In Animosity Vol. 6 - King of Texas we see once again the cruelty of men towards animals that, although now sentient, they can only succumb to man's weapons and destructive reasoning. From the cages of farms or research centers that exploit animal experimentation, to the cages of an arena that will be opened only to send the captured creatures to almost certain death. Here, however, something has changed: not only men impose their dominion over beasts, but other beasts also proclaim themselves kings and dictate the fate of their fellow men. Being inhumane, which was the prerogative of men, has also become an aspect of those larger and stronger animals capable of overwhelming the smallest and the weakest, almost as if with the arrival of rationality, of Machiavellian calculation, cold ruthlessness.
There seems to be neither space nor time, in this last volume published by saldaPress, to soften and have pity: one must fight, by any means necessary, as Sandor clearly shows, leaving behind a trail of blood that not even he is proud of. If the animals also impose their power and their dominion on their fellow men, exactly as men did before the Awakening, they too will have to pay, without hesitation. The journey of the protagonists of Animosity then becomes increasingly hard and exhausting since now the goal is no longer just revenge, but simple and pure survival. Marguerite Bennett and Rafael De Latorre therefore manage to capture us once again, to induce us to hold our breath, with a volume that seems to reach the climax of tension thanks also to a merciless setting: the wild moors and deserts of Texas, which help to stand out the post-apocalyptic character of this innovative work.
Can I forgive you?
An essential element in the plot of Animosity is the duality aspect that characterizes Sandor's soul. In fact, in the first volumes the possibility is raised that the bloodhound has actually committed something terrible to protect his child, but in Animosity Vol. 6 - King of Texas the secrets that Sandor hides from Jesse are magnified more and more, until the same does not he is forced to make a difficult decision: to reveal everything to the child. This is where the volume ends, with a cliffhanger that leaves us on our toes, however the question opens up to a more important concept: will the affection that flows between the two allow Jesse to forgive whatever Sandor has done?Forgiveness is somewhat the cornerstone of the whole work, on closer inspection, in contrast to the bitter revenge that animals want to be bearers. In the latest published volume, however, the concept embraces a broader moral spectrum, especially when we witness the carnage that Sandor is capable of. Is it possible to accept the immoral acts of those we love even if they are perpetrated for a good purpose? Do we really know who is next to us? And can love in this sense come out triumphant even if it comes to the knowledge of the truth? As always, Animosity does not simplistically deal with a war between humans and animals, but branches out through complex questions concerning ethics, human morality, reflections on life and the existence of not easy answers.
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Although in terms of plot and themes Animosity Vol. 6 - King of Texas stands as a confirmation, as readers we cannot fail to notice the lack of Rafael De Latorre in the illustrations. In fact, the style of the latter has so far been a pleasant certainty, abruptly supplanted by the inclusion of Elton Thomasi in the drawings. His talent is undeniable, his images are characterized by an irregularity that makes them suitable for the sustained pace of the narrative, however they often err on the side of excessive speed in the stroke and it is sometimes evident an improper use of the perspectives that render the figures ( human or animal) a little out of place. In short, more could have been done in this respect, above all because a space with a cinematic flavor has been cut out for each table that gives unprecedented dynamism to the screenplay.
The reading of this sixth volume of Animosity still flows. fast and pleasant, full of reflective ideas to which one cannot remain indifferent, both for animal lovers and not; the relationship of affection between Jesse and Sandor is then once again the glue that holds together an already well-articulated plot, of which we are extremely curious to discover the ending.
