Rick Remender and André Lima Araújo’s A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #6 gives Sonny and Xavier a chance to recuperate and rebuild
Author Rick Remender and Wes Craig have found continued success chronicling the lives of teenage assassins-in-training in their ongoing series Deadly Class. So, it’s no wonder that Remender and artist André Lima Araújo’s look at the seedy world of dark-web hitmen is just as compelling. The first arc of A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance, published by Image Comics, introduced readers to a mysterious man named Sonny on a dangerous mission to save a woman and her son from a sadistic killer. A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #6 is an excellent issue that gives its hero a chance to catch his breath.
The new issue takes place in the woods, where several people hide out in an idyllic homestead. They share what little they have with one another in an attempt to find some peace and quiet in spite of the trauma they’ve been through. Sonny is grateful to his hosts, who saved he and the young Xavier from a desperate situation in A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #5, but he misses his old life and his mother. As he struggles to come to terms with his current situation, Xavier grieves the loss of his own mother — and sinister forces lurk in the woods.
After the unrelenting fast pace of the first five issues of the series, A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #6, finally gives the audience a chance to catch their breath. This is the first issue of the series that is contained to one setting. Remender’s restraint underscores just how action-packed the series has been and makes room for more dialogue and character development. Readers learn more about Sonny’s journey as he talks with his fellow campers, but the most emotionally resonant scenes feature Xavier, who appears to have stopped speaking in the wake of his mother’s death. Remender’s inclusion of the orphaned young boy hammers home the series’s high stakes, as this issue forces the reader and the characters to spend some time sitting with the aftermath of the first arc.
Araújo revels in the numerous quiet moments in A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #6. Throughout the series, he has masterfully captured Sonny’s inner turmoil, but this issue really allows his incredible visual storytelling abilities to take center stage. Xavier’s body language instantly communicates the weight of his loss, but his smiles and subtle choices help capture the budding friendship between he and Sonny. These complicated emotions have plenty of room to spread out against the beautiful, but sparse background of the woods, which is remarkably different from the crowded city-scapes of previous issues.
The end of A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #6 seems to suggest that the series is about to kick back into its high-octane, non-stop pace — but this issue gives readers a chance to ease themselves into the second arc. Remender and Araújo both do an excellent job of exploring the emotional wear and tear recent events have had on each character, without losing sight of the imminent danger they are all still in. This is an excellent comic that highlights both creators’ incredible creative ranges.
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