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Renato Jones #1
Renato Jones: The One Percent Vol. 1
The One% own more than half the world’s wealth. They’ve crashed economies, bought governments, and have amassed more power than any other group in history. And they still don’t have enough. With this kind of power, how can anyone make them pay? WHO will make them pay? Enter Renato Jones, a mysterious vigilante, out to even the score. And when he enters the fray THE SUPER-RICH ARE SUPER F***ED. From acclaimed creator KAARE KYLE ANDREWS (Iron Fist The Living Weapon, Spider Man Reign) comes the first season of the critically acclaimed, supercharged capitalistic action revenge thriller for a post-Great Recession world. Collects SEASON of RENATO JONES THE ONE% #1-5.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 11, 2017
2 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Kaare Andrews
359 books33 followersKaare Kyle Andrews is a comic book writer, artist and filmmaker
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
June 11, 2022
This had some potential to be good. Imagine if The Punisher went after the Fortune 500 rather than the mob. The problem is the characters are such exaggerated caricatures of people that it just ruins the experience. This would have been so much better if Andrews had played it straight instead of creating a psuedo-satire. I will say the art is REALLY good. The over the top story, not so much.
February 18, 2017
I was expecting this to be a new Transmetropolitan, but unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations.
Transmetropolitan, despite its absolute craziness, has characters who are not either good or bad, but just people and explores many facets of contemporary society, and where we are headed, with scathing satire and commentary.
Renato Jones is Batman if Bruce Wayne decided to go crazy vigilante and kill his way through the Forbes top 100. The One % ruling the world all act like they're part of a secret club and more or less agree that the 99% aren't even people and can be treated like property. The One % are (except for a few exceptions like the love interest) are all horrible and evil and deserve to die and then the world will be a better place (is the implication).
It's uncomplex, morally black and white (and moralizing) and reads like a superhero comic. It was fun though and had some parts I liked, so not a waste of time even though it was totally not my thing. If you like superheroes/masked crusaders and gratuitous violence, then you will probably love this.
Transmetropolitan, despite its absolute craziness, has characters who are not either good or bad, but just people and explores many facets of contemporary society, and where we are headed, with scathing satire and commentary.
Renato Jones is Batman if Bruce Wayne decided to go crazy vigilante and kill his way through the Forbes top 100. The One % ruling the world all act like they're part of a secret club and more or less agree that the 99% aren't even people and can be treated like property. The One % are (except for a few exceptions like the love interest) are all horrible and evil and deserve to die and then the world will be a better place (is the implication).
It's uncomplex, morally black and white (and moralizing) and reads like a superhero comic. It was fun though and had some parts I liked, so not a waste of time even though it was totally not my thing. If you like superheroes/masked crusaders and gratuitous violence, then you will probably love this.
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January 14, 2021Fun book, though its straw man of the rich has the subtlety of Neil Blomkamp, and his grasp on the term 'subtlety' is limited enough as it is with such atrocities like Elysium. But Andrews is almost worse with this tripe. The poor people are all sweet and innocent, just trying to get by but are unable to because of the evil, rich people who want to get richer and don't care who get in their way. The rich people are all evil: vindictive, perverted, and maddened by power, and as mentioned before will stop at nothing to gain more power for themselves. The allegories are also clear cut and obvious for our current administration, yet Andrews never says anything of interest with this subtext, as complexity is only for the people who want a good, interesting story, how silly of them.
Bah, but it's mere entertainment, some may say. But so was Charles Dickens back in the day, and his work is complex, well rounded, and actually funny in its social satire and some could say the same for Warren Ellis, who's blurbed on the front of this book, who also happens to be complex, well rounded, and again, actually funny. Ellis is certainly correct when calling this series demented, as it gets rather violent and disturbing at times, yet without real purpose or meaning to it. I don't mind shocking imagery or violent intensity, I mean, sure, take me out of my comfort zone, but Andrews seems as if he's trying to make up for flat characters and story by shocking the readers with disturbing imagery and saying 'hey, this is fucked up, right?' The shocking imagery used in this book is so contrived it makes Lars Von Trier seem refined in his approach to violence,
It's an interesting idea on paper: what if The Punisher decided to go after one percenters instead of the usual street level criminals that he fights. Yet, much like Mark Millar, Andrews never does anything substantial with the idea that he gives out, rather than 'poor people good, rich people bad.' Characters are shallow, vapid assholes who don't change, and I understand that it's intentional, that 'ah, these rich people are vapid and shallow, and only care about status' yet there's no variety in any of these characters, though some of the middle issues of this trade show promise, it is used as mere set up for a later arc which I'll probably not read. It's almost like Andrews has forgotten how a story works.
Andrews' art style is as curious as ever. His bouncy, energetic style is reminiscent of Tony Moore, yet with a strange cartoon-like edge that makes it dynamic. The only reason I don't completely trash this series is because I liked the art work quite a bit. He brings a style that's both moody, energetic, and even hallucinogenic, to quote Ellis again. I found myself consistently enjoying the art more than the story, for unlike a story that's so flat and cliched, it's nice to find an art style that's so unusual, unpredictable, and so unlike many other artists in the comics industry, and few can be compared to him in terms of his strange, blocky yet bouncy style.
In the end it's another piece of comic book fluff, as well as being another uninspired 'rich person bad' revenge fantasy. Perhaps I'll keep Andrews in mind though, if not only for his rather inspired art work.
Bah, but it's mere entertainment, some may say. But so was Charles Dickens back in the day, and his work is complex, well rounded, and actually funny in its social satire and some could say the same for Warren Ellis, who's blurbed on the front of this book, who also happens to be complex, well rounded, and again, actually funny. Ellis is certainly correct when calling this series demented, as it gets rather violent and disturbing at times, yet without real purpose or meaning to it. I don't mind shocking imagery or violent intensity, I mean, sure, take me out of my comfort zone, but Andrews seems as if he's trying to make up for flat characters and story by shocking the readers with disturbing imagery and saying 'hey, this is fucked up, right?' The shocking imagery used in this book is so contrived it makes Lars Von Trier seem refined in his approach to violence,
It's an interesting idea on paper: what if The Punisher decided to go after one percenters instead of the usual street level criminals that he fights. Yet, much like Mark Millar, Andrews never does anything substantial with the idea that he gives out, rather than 'poor people good, rich people bad.' Characters are shallow, vapid assholes who don't change, and I understand that it's intentional, that 'ah, these rich people are vapid and shallow, and only care about status' yet there's no variety in any of these characters, though some of the middle issues of this trade show promise, it is used as mere set up for a later arc which I'll probably not read. It's almost like Andrews has forgotten how a story works.
Andrews' art style is as curious as ever. His bouncy, energetic style is reminiscent of Tony Moore, yet with a strange cartoon-like edge that makes it dynamic. The only reason I don't completely trash this series is because I liked the art work quite a bit. He brings a style that's both moody, energetic, and even hallucinogenic, to quote Ellis again. I found myself consistently enjoying the art more than the story, for unlike a story that's so flat and cliched, it's nice to find an art style that's so unusual, unpredictable, and so unlike many other artists in the comics industry, and few can be compared to him in terms of his strange, blocky yet bouncy style.
In the end it's another piece of comic book fluff, as well as being another uninspired 'rich person bad' revenge fantasy. Perhaps I'll keep Andrews in mind though, if not only for his rather inspired art work.
December 29, 2021
Wow, this was surprisingly really good and unique! The optimist that I am, I did not expect me to like this at all! I never imagined that I would actually read a graphic novel in my whole life since that is something I was just never interested in or could be bothered trying, but life really throws you crazy curveballs and opportunities sometimes. (as well as people, ha!) I'm one of those rare species who've never read a comic book before (apart from the occasional Mickey Mouse paperback when I was very young and those are classics which should not be counted) and it took me some time initially getting accustomed to the style of writing, but it ended up being really refreshing and just so much fun!! I'm not a visual person at all, so I had lots of difficulties interpreting the pictures correctly and found myself staring embarrasingly long at them, trying to figure out what the frickfrack was going on and whether I had seen the particular person in a former frame before. I'm just so bad with faces...it's terrible! I felt like a really old person trying to understand why the youngsters are fascinated by this crazy thing. But the writing and whole reading experience were so incredibly fun and refreshing! I didn't even care about the brutality and violence, because it's so hilariously fitting in the context of it all. I absolutely LOVE Kaare Andrew's sarcastic writing and the wonderfully exaggerated and in all honesty also quite demented plot! (which is exactly how I like my fiction) I don't know how to describe it, but the author has a very particular and dry sense of humor that I just really enjoy (Philippe, if you ever read this: you have it too and sometimes I felt that it was you who wrote this entire thing!). It was satire at its best. Obviously, since I never read anything of that genre I don't have any means of comparison, but I found myself constantly going back to reading, even though I was incredibly tired today and had originally wanted to wait until I finished my other book first. That's how much I actually liked it! And that's despite me absolutely loathing any kind of superhero stories because no, this is just not something I need in my life. Saving the world from evil monsters, yaaaawn. Maybe the evil monsters want to live too? Show some tolerance for once! Of course, I didn't know there was this funny little piece called Renato Jones out there...though I have to say, the author really couldn't have picked a cheesier and more unfitting name for his crusader in spe. (Renato, really? RENATO?!) The whole novel was just completely delusional and absolutely bonkers, constantly making me question both my and the author's sanity, but to agree with Warren Ellis' review on the cover: also so very very gorgeous! Actually thinking about getting my own copy!
PS: It wouldn't hurt to choose a less sexist and pornographic-looking cover next time, so people on the tube wouldn't stare at me thinking "What terribleness happened to this girl that she's reading this thing about a woman with crisscross-taped breasts on the cover" (who even puts tape on nipples? It's not like we don't know what's underneath there! MEN...) Also this would've looked much better in red or blue!
--------- UPDATE ---------
I reread this today (Dec. 29th 2021) and I feel like I understood the comic even less the second time (especially the ending). The story itself is simple enough, but I just DON'T GET THE GRAPHICS. Ugh! I'm confused and annoyed (because I'm confused) and somehow the gratuitous violence bothered me so much more this time. Sort of regretting buying my own copy now. I can barely cope with the sexsim and kind of want my money back. I don't know what happened to "chill" Kathi from 2019, but Kathi from 2021 just doesn't have the patience or tolerance for it anymore. 3 Stars from me this time around, because even though I still haven't read any other comics to compare it too, I feel like art-style-wise this is one of the more creative ones. Plus I'm a sucker for societal criticism, even if's as on the nose as here. But still...the taste it leaves, it's not a nice one.
PS: It wouldn't hurt to choose a less sexist and pornographic-looking cover next time, so people on the tube wouldn't stare at me thinking "What terribleness happened to this girl that she's reading this thing about a woman with crisscross-taped breasts on the cover" (who even puts tape on nipples? It's not like we don't know what's underneath there! MEN...) Also this would've looked much better in red or blue!
--------- UPDATE ---------
I reread this today (Dec. 29th 2021) and I feel like I understood the comic even less the second time (especially the ending). The story itself is simple enough, but I just DON'T GET THE GRAPHICS. Ugh! I'm confused and annoyed (because I'm confused) and somehow the gratuitous violence bothered me so much more this time. Sort of regretting buying my own copy now. I can barely cope with the sexsim and kind of want my money back. I don't know what happened to "chill" Kathi from 2019, but Kathi from 2021 just doesn't have the patience or tolerance for it anymore. 3 Stars from me this time around, because even though I still haven't read any other comics to compare it too, I feel like art-style-wise this is one of the more creative ones. Plus I'm a sucker for societal criticism, even if's as on the nose as here. But still...the taste it leaves, it's not a nice one.
February 6, 2017
Andrews' art is always interesting, even if the story is unsubtle, with an insistence on a corny catchphrase. Mixing Batman/Punisher and taking out frustrations on the 1%. Not much conflict, and not a complete story, to boot. Could still use some massive improvement. Also, the hero himself deserves to be punished. Nihilism can be fun, but we could use more of a knowing wink.
February 20, 2017
Brash, brazen, and ballsy. A cathartic experience satirizing our turbulent, uncertain times.
November 15, 2017
I don't know that it's good, but I enjoyed it. It's about as subtle as a brick to the face. It's characters are intentionally one-dimensional for the most part. The cliffhanger is good as cliffhangers go, but the reason for it in general is fairly dumb. It's in that place of "I'm not unhappy that I read it, but don't know that I'd recommend it to my friends."
June 17, 2018
Whelp, I got pretty much what I expected with this graphic novel.
I'm sure they delve a little deeper into Renato's character in subsequent 'Seasons', but from what's presented in Season 1, it's a Hodge-Podge of things we've already seen before. The art is 1 part Frank Miller's Sin City, one part Jhonen Vasquez's Johnny, the Homicidal Maniac. I don't mean to compare two brilliant works with this piece, only to say the art style has been seen before, and done much better.
This concept is also one that has been done before, and executed far better. I think the comic world is done with the blood thirsty rampage of killings by a hypercritical moral high ground protagonist. The shock thriller aspect of many of the scenes of this book loose the impact when you can see them coming a mile away, and when other books are doing the same thing.
In sum: this book is exactly what you get when you pitch three or four already brilliantly done concepts and ideas, throw them in a blender, remove all actual message you wanted to convey, and then try to sell it. This graphic novel isn't worth your time and please just rediscover the influences that this comic steals from.
I'm sure they delve a little deeper into Renato's character in subsequent 'Seasons', but from what's presented in Season 1, it's a Hodge-Podge of things we've already seen before. The art is 1 part Frank Miller's Sin City, one part Jhonen Vasquez's Johnny, the Homicidal Maniac. I don't mean to compare two brilliant works with this piece, only to say the art style has been seen before, and done much better.
This concept is also one that has been done before, and executed far better. I think the comic world is done with the blood thirsty rampage of killings by a hypercritical moral high ground protagonist. The shock thriller aspect of many of the scenes of this book loose the impact when you can see them coming a mile away, and when other books are doing the same thing.
In sum: this book is exactly what you get when you pitch three or four already brilliantly done concepts and ideas, throw them in a blender, remove all actual message you wanted to convey, and then try to sell it. This graphic novel isn't worth your time and please just rediscover the influences that this comic steals from.
January 15, 2018
I'm so conflicted writing this review of Renato Jones: The One%...
Going into 'Season 1' I had such high expectations that unfortunately just didn't pan out. Issue #1 was captivating but sadly Renato Jones quickly looses its luster, as well as its sense of direction. Without a clearly defined antagonist, the story lacked any real sense of urgency; worse was that the plot was unable to extended beyond the book's concept, which made it a surprisingly dull read for a James Bond/Punisher style revenge tale.
The writing is unquestionably the strongest point of Renato Jones. Kaare Andrews creates a brilliant inner monologue through Renato, reminiscent of Scott Snyder's Batman, and his social commentaries are both well-formed and insightful.
Going into 'Season 1' I had such high expectations that unfortunately just didn't pan out. Issue #1 was captivating but sadly Renato Jones quickly looses its luster, as well as its sense of direction. Without a clearly defined antagonist, the story lacked any real sense of urgency; worse was that the plot was unable to extended beyond the book's concept, which made it a surprisingly dull read for a James Bond/Punisher style revenge tale.
The writing is unquestionably the strongest point of Renato Jones. Kaare Andrews creates a brilliant inner monologue through Renato, reminiscent of Scott Snyder's Batman, and his social commentaries are both well-formed and insightful.
August 28, 2020
Kate Kyle Andrews comes so close on story of an infiltrator delivering harsh justice to the world of the ultra-wealthy and ultra-unaccountable. The idea is a fertile one, but Andrews so quickly reduces all of these characters to cariacatures that it robs the story of any heft it could have had. The art is cool, but extreme, and only furthers the notion that this is just some kind of not-quite-Deadpool story about invading a debutante’s ball. Not all comics need to be literature, but this one has literary — or at least revolutionary — pretensions. So that being the case, it really should have reeled itself in a little rather than getting drunk on its own premise. This one is a big miss, but it is also a near one, and could have easily been a four- or five-star book.
February 21, 2017
In the world of Renato Jones, an international group of super rich individuals operate above the law, exploiting their staff and engaging in all sorts of depraved activities. Enter "the Freelancer", an enigmatic assassin taking out members of The One% and exposing their crimes to the world (which range from torture to chaining workers to their desks).
Written and drawn by the same person, Renato Jones has a fantastic style with many shocking and disturbing images.
Written and drawn by the same person, Renato Jones has a fantastic style with many shocking and disturbing images.
January 20, 2017
Reading "Renato Jones: The One %" by @kaareandrews was a wild ride. Entertaining, satisfying but also problematic and unpleasant at times. The depiction of women is voyeuristic.
Contains a lot of graphic violence. Be careful if you're sensitive about that. Has many truths in it if you care about that. It's like "Punisher" meets "Rampage".
I also hatelove the cynical ads in between.
Contains a lot of graphic violence. Be careful if you're sensitive about that. Has many truths in it if you care about that. It's like "Punisher" meets "Rampage".
I also hatelove the cynical ads in between.
June 11, 2019
Ham fisted as hell, but delightfully so. A man of means decides to take down those who abuse their wealth. The series is cathartic as hell, and relatively thoughtless beyond the premise, but sometimes you just need something that hits all the dumb fun buttons.
April 20, 2017
Picked this up because I liked Spider-Man: Reign...
Love the art... the whole thing felt very Miller-esque... except that Andrews seems to have his head way less up his ass than Miller does. Thought I was going to love it, but instead I just liked it a lot. I'll pick up Season 2 though.
Love the art... the whole thing felt very Miller-esque... except that Andrews seems to have his head way less up his ass than Miller does. Thought I was going to love it, but instead I just liked it a lot. I'll pick up Season 2 though.
March 18, 2017
Disclaimer: I received this book for free as a Goodreads giveaway.
Renato Jones: The One%, Season 1, written and drawn by Kaare Andrews, is the story of a rich guy who is not really a rich guy and kills other rich guys because all rich guys are evil. Or something. And if you're biggest complaint about today's comics is that the politics are way too subtle and villains' parallels to all of the worst stereotypes about American conservatives are too obscurely rendered, then this is the comic for you.
I wanted to enjoy this one. I've enjoyed Andrews's past works that I've read, and the concept here could be really interesting, but this was just too heavy-handed. I'm not complaining about comics being political, per se. Especially a book like this, where such concepts are obviously meant to be placed front and center.
The problem here, in my opinion, is how utterly flat this all comes across. There's no subtlety, no complex characters or exploring of ideas, no compelling motivation. All of the characters are either boring or thoroughly unlikeable (and not in the love-to-hate sort of way). The villains are all one-dimensional, irredeemably evil billionaires who do nothing but sit around on yachts talking about how awesome it is to be super-rich and how fun it is to dick over poor people. Or they are actively engaged in said dicking-over of poor people. And, of course, multiple thinly veiled Donald Trump parodies. You can never have too many of those, I guess?
It's so over-the-top, but it doesn't come across as if it's being played for laughs; it's presented completely straight. This is just how rich people act. And if it's satire, the moral is...evil people are evil? Rich people are evil? That seems to be the point, as our hero , so he's okay. (Except, of course, he's not because he's serial killer.) Likewise with Bliss, but she turns out to be pretty awful, as well.
All of which is disappointing, because there is a lot of potential to this concept. And Andrews's art is great, displaying a wide range of tone, emotion, and style. Often some creative layouts, but easy to follow. I really liked the heavy black and white pages. Good stuff there.
Maybe things pick up in subsequent volumes. With a $9.99 price tag for this much content (about 7 standard issues worth), that's one of the better deals you'll find these days. But unless I hear rave reviews from others or get another free copy, I'm not going to bother.
Renato Jones: The One%, Season 1, written and drawn by Kaare Andrews, is the story of a rich guy who is not really a rich guy and kills other rich guys because all rich guys are evil. Or something. And if you're biggest complaint about today's comics is that the politics are way too subtle and villains' parallels to all of the worst stereotypes about American conservatives are too obscurely rendered, then this is the comic for you.
I wanted to enjoy this one. I've enjoyed Andrews's past works that I've read, and the concept here could be really interesting, but this was just too heavy-handed. I'm not complaining about comics being political, per se. Especially a book like this, where such concepts are obviously meant to be placed front and center.
The problem here, in my opinion, is how utterly flat this all comes across. There's no subtlety, no complex characters or exploring of ideas, no compelling motivation. All of the characters are either boring or thoroughly unlikeable (and not in the love-to-hate sort of way). The villains are all one-dimensional, irredeemably evil billionaires who do nothing but sit around on yachts talking about how awesome it is to be super-rich and how fun it is to dick over poor people. Or they are actively engaged in said dicking-over of poor people. And, of course, multiple thinly veiled Donald Trump parodies. You can never have too many of those, I guess?
It's so over-the-top, but it doesn't come across as if it's being played for laughs; it's presented completely straight. This is just how rich people act. And if it's satire, the moral is...evil people are evil? Rich people are evil? That seems to be the point, as our hero , so he's okay. (Except, of course, he's not because he's serial killer.) Likewise with Bliss, but she turns out to be pretty awful, as well.
All of which is disappointing, because there is a lot of potential to this concept. And Andrews's art is great, displaying a wide range of tone, emotion, and style. Often some creative layouts, but easy to follow. I really liked the heavy black and white pages. Good stuff there.
Maybe things pick up in subsequent volumes. With a $9.99 price tag for this much content (about 7 standard issues worth), that's one of the better deals you'll find these days. But unless I hear rave reviews from others or get another free copy, I'm not going to bother.
September 7, 2019
Things I enjoyed about Renato Jones Season One:
The artist's ability to make his intentions come to fruition.
The different visual styles Andrews presents to convey different moods / time changes.
The character design of The Freelancer
The Eat And Then Kill The Rich plot
The obvious but necessary dig at how ethically bankrupt Apple's business practices are
Things I Didn't Enjoy About Renato Jones:
The pacing
The cringey dialogue
The scattershot storytelling
The incomprehensibility of The Awesome (or whatever he was called)'s storyline
The father figure / mentor character
Overall impression
I went into this book thinking it was going to be too Over-The-Top for me, even though I agreed with the premise. And while its first two issues won me over, I found interest waning with each subsequent issue.
If you like Not Quite Ultraviolent But Fairly Violent assassin stories with .. not so much a political bent as a political sledgehammer, I would check this book out. If Robert Kirkman's Die!Die!Die!, Vol. 1 intrigued you but was too violent, this might be your bag of murder.
The artist's ability to make his intentions come to fruition.
The different visual styles Andrews presents to convey different moods / time changes.
The character design of The Freelancer
The Eat And Then Kill The Rich plot
The obvious but necessary dig at how ethically bankrupt Apple's business practices are
Things I Didn't Enjoy About Renato Jones:
The pacing
The cringey dialogue
The scattershot storytelling
The incomprehensibility of The Awesome (or whatever he was called)'s storyline
The father figure / mentor character
Overall impression
I went into this book thinking it was going to be too Over-The-Top for me, even though I agreed with the premise. And while its first two issues won me over, I found interest waning with each subsequent issue.
If you like Not Quite Ultraviolent But Fairly Violent assassin stories with .. not so much a political bent as a political sledgehammer, I would check this book out. If Robert Kirkman's Die!Die!Die!, Vol. 1 intrigued you but was too violent, this might be your bag of murder.
February 25, 2021
Man I had a lot of trouble coming to grips with how I feel about this one. There are elements of it that fall totally flat to me. Then there are elements that I really liked. I can see why people sort of refer to this as a "Rich Punisher." I don't totally agree, but I see the common threads people are pulling at. Personally, I think it might be a side effect of Andrews having worked for Marvel for so many years. After working in that "house style" for so long, some of the foundations of that style have creeped into this work, despite his desire to get away from it.
I do think this comic is pretty darn funny at times. I personally think the Wicked Awesome character is a pretty fun antithesis character to Freelancer, and some of the dialogue choices make me laugh. The art MAYBE isn't Andrew's at his best, however I do think he sets moods pretty brilliantly from page to page. In general, you can clearly see the Iron Fist influence and if you dug that, you will likely dig the art in this.
Possibly the BEST thing about this is the price. At $10 brand new, you get a real bang for your buck. If you hunt the used racks, you can find it as cheap as $2, but you really have to HUNT for that.
All in all, give it a shot if you like Andrew's work. I'm curious enough about the rest of the story to pick up the next trade if I come across it and it is similarly priced.
I do think this comic is pretty darn funny at times. I personally think the Wicked Awesome character is a pretty fun antithesis character to Freelancer, and some of the dialogue choices make me laugh. The art MAYBE isn't Andrew's at his best, however I do think he sets moods pretty brilliantly from page to page. In general, you can clearly see the Iron Fist influence and if you dug that, you will likely dig the art in this.
Possibly the BEST thing about this is the price. At $10 brand new, you get a real bang for your buck. If you hunt the used racks, you can find it as cheap as $2, but you really have to HUNT for that.
All in all, give it a shot if you like Andrew's work. I'm curious enough about the rest of the story to pick up the next trade if I come across it and it is similarly priced.
June 5, 2017
I don't really know what to think about this. I knew it was going to be weird just from the cover, but it wasn't exactly bizarre in a good way. Very gory and graphic, sometimes a little hard to tell what's going on. The dialogue is also hard to follow at times. One guy said 'dude' in every speech bubble, and I know it's supposed to be annoying but I almost couldn't keep reading it was so obnoxious. The volume itself ends on a pretty good cliffhanger, and the art (when you can tell what's going on) is quirky and colorful; I like the style. It suits the atmosphere of the comic and the main character. That said, even though the background your given on Renato is horrible, I don't really feel for him as a character. I don't really feel for any of them actually. It's a lot of anger and resentment towards the rich, lots of blood and killing, and very little emotional involvement.
June 18, 2022
This book has a very distinctive style, and is not for the easily offended. A member of the upper class elite decides to put his resources toward wiping them out, specifically the most corrupt and depraved. the book doesn't shy away from the violence or disturbing concepts, and the body count is high. But there is a story underlying the violence, and the characters of Renato Jones and Bliss have some unexpected facets that are hinted at if not fully developed here. Still, the focus is the violence (and the depravity that 'justifies' it), and Kaare Andrews' art is definitely able to capture both the mayhem and the quiet moments. I'm intrigued enough to check out the next volume in the series, but again I will warn that the content is on the far end of the mature label, both for violence and nudity.
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September 3, 2024The art, concept, and execution was all very well produced. The comic's environment, tone, and color palette contributed to giving you a precise blind hatred of the villains Kaare was going for. The post- occupy, post tangarine tyrant timeframe was naturally easy to empathize with and the big bads were nothing less than deplorable in word and deed. The problem for me was the anti-hero and his comrades. I couldn't care less about them. Their backstories and motivations were bland and the story gave me no reason to care if he or his familiars makes it out alive. The page layout showed a clear mastery of the type of story Kaare was aiming to tell. The adverts at the end of every issue were a fun parody of the high end perfume or fashion marketing. I will give more trades a whirl, but I hope all the style of this comic pays off with some more captivating character development.
March 10, 2017
Isto é, de facto, a crítica ao neoliberalismo gone wild. Neste The One%, seguimos as aventuras de um anti-herói, aparentemente um playboy bilionário que vive com o seu mordomo numa mansão, mas com uma vida dupla a combater... não o crime ou super-vilões pulp, mas os verdadeiros donos do mundo: a elite rarefeita dos um por cento, daqueles que nunca na história humana tiveram tanta riqueza concentrada nas mãos de tão poucos. Kaare Andrews dá-nos uma história alucinante, onde bilionários pervertidos são exterminados com extremo prejuízo por um assassino que vem do seu meio. No mundo real, sabemos que os um percentistas são intocáveis, acima de leis nacionais, protegidos das hordas de cidadãos por políticos subservientes e seguranças bem equipados. Mas neste comic, sabe bem ver caricaturas óbvias de Trump e outros plutocratas a serem desmembrados, esventrados, manipulados e até apenas assassinados a tiro. O ritmo é alucinante, o estilo gráfico a condizer, e o factor catarse elevadíssimo.
October 11, 2017
The very rich get it in the neck! - and deservedly so.
The principle behind this comic collection is that the richest 1% of the population (of the USA) can do what they like to whom they like without repercussions. Renato Jones, himself one of the 1%, takes on the role of the Freelancer to put an end to this domination.
With flashbacks to explain his origin and connections, this collection is violent, heavily sexualised with a moral context. The colours are nicely done and the illustrations are clear on the whole. It's quite good stuff and reasonably engaging. There seems to be more to come.
The principle behind this comic collection is that the richest 1% of the population (of the USA) can do what they like to whom they like without repercussions. Renato Jones, himself one of the 1%, takes on the role of the Freelancer to put an end to this domination.
With flashbacks to explain his origin and connections, this collection is violent, heavily sexualised with a moral context. The colours are nicely done and the illustrations are clear on the whole. It's quite good stuff and reasonably engaging. There seems to be more to come.
January 6, 2018
As graphically inventive, visually exciting, and as subversive as Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS was in 1986, RENATO JONES is the story of a vigilante updated for the 21st Century. Dark, explicit, and occasionally disturbing, Andrews has created a comic-book critique of the economic trends that are leaving more and more with less and less. It's drenched with blood and sex, so it's not for everyone. And it's not subtle. But comic books aren't really meant to be subtle, and the portraits of corrupt financiers, politicians, and executives are only slightly distorted caricatures of some real-life villains.
April 28, 2018
I went to the library today and read Renato Jones: The One%, and liked it. It's a romantic but disturbing idea, getting to the ones in the top 1% who treat everyone else like shit. Kind of enjoyed that. The depravity and callousness of the 1% made them great villains. The central character is interesting and complex: a killer who is bullied by his step sibling, but attracted to her. It was a far more interesting story underneath the carnage. One thing that bothered me was the parallel to Charles Mansion's way of thinking.
May 12, 2022
The Other: it always presents as strange and different and most slavishly fall into two camps of response: destroy this abomination the sum of evils or place it upon a pedestal for worship and adoration. This falls into the destroy and proclaim it evil. Probably better than the second, but it seems primitive at best. Hate the rich, burn their homes, proclaim that they did not build that rather we built that. Eh, envy never looks good, even if naked and painted in gore. But enjoy the ride.
January 7, 2018
I flippin' LOVE like EVERYTHING about this book!
Especially the message.
Please READ This.
(disclaimer: though enjoying/celebrating violent media is an aspect that feels hypocritical,
perhaps it is the best way to get the message out?)
Especially the message.
Please READ This.
(disclaimer: though enjoying/celebrating violent media is an aspect that feels hypocritical,
perhaps it is the best way to get the message out?)
March 25, 2018
This is a fantastic book. Kaare Andrews is a brilliant creative and handles both art and writing duties here, crafting a book that's both bonkers and relevant to the issues of today. It's a great read and I'm fully on board for the second volume!
September 28, 2025
Desde su oscuro orígen, "Renato Jones" aprovecha sus cuantiosos recursos en una cruzada violenta e intensa hacia los verdaderos enemigos de la humanidad. Un desquite ficticio contra el modelo neoliberal y sus excesos bajo el prisma usual del comic-book estadounidense (pros y contras incluidos).
August 22, 2017
super high octane and does not pull punches. incredibly dynamic storytelling. can't wait to see what other shit andrews has to offer! and def looking forward to the next "season".
October 28, 2017
Even if its not my Cup o' tea stylewise, I can appreciate the style of action of Karee Andrews, even if it draws too much on Millar-esque satire for his Batman-Punisher-GreenArrow amalgam.
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