Name: The Old Guard Book One
ISBN: 9781534302402

Greg Rucka

"Contains material previously published as The old guard #1-#5"--Indicia.

Opening Fire

The Old Guard Book One

Nora Reisenberger

** spoiler alert **
           The only bad thing about this is that it’s over and not twice as long. Thus I am very excited for the sequel.

It’s an incredibly fast paced story - nay following of events - about four live long acquaintances who meet someone new to join their ranks. It’s action packed and sarcastically hilarious and even though you’d think there couldn’t be stakes, there ARE, and there’s twists and turns and betrayal and love.
Gotta say I love all the casual representation: A+.

It’s not a profound revelations-about-the-human-condition type story but it edges towards being one. Still has more of a super/anti-hero-esque feel to it.

The art style might take some getting used to for sole but I find it quite effective for the story it’s telling. Kind of rough and gritty. Also there’s gore. Lot’s of it and blood. But it’s still (kind of) PG because it’s left a bit to the imagination/ it’s just kind of sketch-y.

Now there’s SPOILERS under this.

Ok so we follow a group of varyingly old immortals. 
They take on jobs, find a new member for their group, get betrayed, seek revenge and reminisce about their super long and somewhat depressing lives. And it’s all happening SO FAST. I swear time passed quicker while reading this. I was in the action!

Andy being the oldest having been around virtually for ever. She’s blunt and direct and knows how to get what she wants. She fiercely protects her team and is also secretly a sweet little sentimental marshmallow underneath her very cool, tough, hard-ass exterior.

Then there are Nicolo and Yusuf (aka Nicky and Joe) who have hit the jackpot of immortality because they are in love and it’s adorable. You know it’s the typical they-tried-to-kill-each-other-in-a-war-but-found-out-they-couldn’t-because-they’re-both-immortal kind of story.

Booker is your average ex-Napoleon’s-soldier who is the youngest of the original group who can still kind of figure out how a cellphone works.

And then there’s Nile Freeman. Newest member of the Old Guard and somewhat of an apprentice to Andy. Being newly unkillable (?) does raise a few questions.

Especially as the modern world holds some challenges that a centuries old group of mercenaries is somewhat ill-equipped to handle.


I wanted to read the graphic novel before the movie came out on Netflix. I am already a bit disappointed about the white-washing that is FOR SURE going to happen (and not just with the protagonist which I already know) but I am still extremely excited about the cast! (I love Charlize Theron and she’s amazing and accomplished in action movies and I’m really happy about her casting because I know she’ll be amazing in that role but still... it had to be said) and about the whole project. It’s gonna be dope from what I can tell via the trailer already released.

André Nóbrega

I'd place it at 3,5, better than some of my 3 stars but not as good as most of my 4 stars, for what it's worth. It's nicely told and well drawn, but it suffers from predictability. The world is probably as tired of the immortal soldier concept as the immortal is tired of not dying. I'll read the next, because what this story lacks is what can be done with more time, ironically: character development. I want to get to know these people and care for them or their purpose, or else I'll just glide through waiting for each of their very own decapitations. Points awarded to Rucka for making them friends instead of eternal enemies in the "there can be only one" tradition.

The Old Guard Book One Opening Fire

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