Ratchet & Clank Comic Series Review

I'm always really interested in seeing how something from one medium is brought over into another medium. It's a process that can work really well, but also go horribly wrong. One transition that I think we have finally learned how to do well is the transition from a written medium into a visual medium. Film adaptations of novels and comics are these days very well done, because most writers have got the hang of how to handle the source material. Something that we still struggle with is the transition from an interactive medium to a non-interactive one, and vice versa. Video games are very difficult to adapt into other mediums, because the interactive element is what makes them so enjoyable. Not to say it can't be done well, just that it is very difficult to accomplish.

Which brings us to the topic of today's post. When I learned that there was a Ratchet & Clank comic book series I was curious to see how it was handled. I originally thought the six issue mini series had never been released outside the States, but as it turned out, the Trade Paperback is available in the UK – compiling all six issues, so I decided to pick it up. The six issues were published by DC from September 2010 to February 2011, intending to tide players over until the release of All 4 One. It was written by T.J. Fixman – who wrote the story for A Crack in Time as well as numerous other Insomniac titles, and was drawn by Adam Archer. I'm not very knowledgeable on comics, so most of my critique will be based on the story, the portrayal of the characters and how well it represents the franchise.

Story

The story takes place between A Crack in Time and All 4 One. With Dr Nefarious defeated and The Great Clock safe, Ratchet and Clank decide to leave the Polaris Galaxy and go back to Ratchet's old home on Veldin. Their retirement is interrupted by a visit from Captain Qwark – now Galactic President of Polaris. He informs our heroes that he is facing a problem: planets are disappearing across the universe and he wants their help. Ratchet initially refuses, but when Veldin is the next planet to be taken, he and Clank must escape the clutches of Artemis Zogg, recover the stolen planets and save the universe from this new villain.

Interestingly, according to Fixman, this story was originally one of the ideas they came up with for A Crack in Time. However, since they were set on doing a time-travel story for that game, this one was shelved. I'm glad they found a use for it, since it's always a shame when potential stories never see the light of day. So was it any good? I enjoyed it, and felt it was very in-keeping with the series. When previous threats have included a plan to mass market a killing machine as a pet, a mad scientist who wanted to turn everyone into robots, and a search for a giant hat with a pull-string that was once responsible for saving the universe, this story about a former politician stealing planets to create his own galaxy feels right at home. One thing I really like about this story is the fact that it doesn't feel like the sort of story that could be told in a video game – it doesn't really lend itself to interactivity. It's quite dialogue heavy in parts, but in a good way, as it helps establish a lot of the relationships between characters. Some of the story events also don't seem like they would work in a video game. There is a scene in which Ratchet and Clank are given an ultimatum and have to make a difficult decision. The discussions surrounding the decision and the plan they go through with don't feel like they could really be playable. I think this is what adaptations should be doing – using a non-interactive medium to tell a story that couldn't be told interactively.

I do think the adaptation suffers in some places. One being in its length. As a comic book, the pacing is good, but as a Ratchet & Clank story it feels a little short. This comes from the loss of interactivity. Even the shorter Ratchet & Clank games generally last at least 10 hours. I finished this in an evening, and that was on top of doing other things (even if I were to complete Quest for Booty in a day, it would still take a large chunk out of that day). I don't think there is anything that could have been done to help this matter. The things that are fun to do in a game aren't as fun read on panels, so it was inevitably going to be a different experience. Part of me would have liked a longer story, but the one they told was done pretty well.

Characters

T. J. Fixman has been working for Insomniac since Tools of Destruction, and I would say for the most part the characters in this comic are written pretty well. I really like the way that Ratchet and Clank act almost like an old married couple at times – making references to plans to redecorate, and Ratchet's comment that they really need to start labelling important pieces of machinery so he doesn't try to use them to make pancakes. At times, however, I feel like they behave a little out of character. Ratchet seems to act uncharacteristically angsty at times, which is a jarring contrast to the happy-go-lucky hero I'm used to seeing. Yes, he had reasons to be angsty, but it just didn't feel right to me.

Other supporting characters come across well. It was nice to see Talwyn make a return, as she has been rather neglected in the recent games. Cronk and Zephyr are great, and Captain Qwark entertains as usual. I would say the main problem with the supporting cast is that it is very obvious that Fixman did not work on Up Your Arsenal. I was looking forward to seeing Sasha's reappearance and her interactions with Talwyn, but her role in the story was minimal at best. I get the feeling that Fixman didn't really know how to write her, so just had her stand around and look important. It's a shame really, because there was a lot of comedic potential. The comics really make a point that Ratchet and Talwyn are very close, but seem to completely ignore his relationship with Sasha. I'm not denying that Ratchet is probably a lot closer to Talwyn, but Sasha still has a history with him, and she blatantly had a crush on him when they first met, so it's a shame this didn't shine through. I feel that if the characters from the older games weren't going to be used to their full potential, they should have just focussed on the cast of the Future Trilogy.

As far as the villain of this story goes, Zogg is an interesting character who proves that he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. The stakes were high, and the threat he posed forced our heroes to face some tough challenges and make some difficult decisions. I will say, however, that I'm not sure how believable his backstory is – to have changed so much from the man he once was, he can't have been right in the head. I think this is a problem that the series faces sometimes – when the writers have tried to give the villain a tragic backstory I never really buy it, because they act just as menacing as the unambiguous ones. A true tragic villain should genuinely believe that they are doing the right thing, and it should be that much more difficult to put a stop to them. Zogg is a good villain, but is nowhere near one of the best.

Artwork

Adam Archer's artwork looks really nice. His style is quite different to the games, so it takes a bit to get used to, but once you do it looks great. Again, I'm not an expert on comics but I can say that I found the panels easy to follow, the action scenes worked well and the characters were expressive. I have a few criticisms – in the earlier chapters Ratchet's proportions look really weird in some panels. He looks ridiculously short sometimes. The only other problem I had I think was more of an editorial mistake. There are a few panels where they get Cronk and Zephyr's names mixed up. It just really breaks the flow of the story when a blatant mistake like that is made. True, it was a long time before I remembered which was which, but if you're actually working on a story for the series you need to know these things.

Overall Thoughts

This comic book series was an enjoyable read. The story was compelling, the characters were entertaining and the artwork was great. I wouldn't say it's a must-read, but if you're a fan of the series and you want to see another Ratchet & Clank story I would say it's worth checking out. Just don't go into it expecting to be blown away. I think Fixman and Archer did a very good job adapting the series into comic book form, and if they were to release any more comics I think I would pick them up. I'm glad this comic was written – I think they tried some interesting things that couldn't be explored in a game. I would say, however, that I think Ratchet & Clank works best as a video game series, and that seeing them in another medium is a very different experience.

I was originally planning to read the comics before playing All 4 One, but it turned out that Forbidden Planet took forever to dispatch them to me, so I didn't read them until after I had already completed the game. I wanted to get this review out first, so I can talk about them chronologically, so expect my All 4 One review next.