Comic Review: Jaegir: Beasts Within by Gordon Rennie for 2000 AD

Following up on yesterday’s mention, we have Jaegir. I've always been a fan of Rogue Trooper, and hopefully, we will get to that series soon. But when visiting my local library, I discovered Jaegir by Gordon Rennie and knew I had to read it. Jaegir is a spin-off series of Rogue Trooper and is set in Nordland after the original Rogue series; it follows an officer who served on Nu-Earth and gives us a rare insight into the “villains”. Without saying too much, here are the details.

Title: Jaegir: Beasts Within

Author/Illustrators: Gordon Rennie, Simon Coleby, Carl Critchlow

Description:

Atalia Jaegir hunts down war criminals among the worlds controlled by Nordland State Security - until she is recruited for a mission to root out the genetic curse at the heart of the fascist system she serves.

A brand new heroine comes from the Rogue Trooper universe with an incredible new adventure.

While war rages across the galaxy between the Great Nordland Republic and their Souther enemies, Kapiten-Inspector Atalia Jaegir of the Nordland State Security investigates and tracks down war criminals. It's a thankless task - viewed with suspicion and hatred by her own people. Jaegir is no stranger to conflict and betrayal...but her work is interrupted when another arm of the state recruits her to hunt down a monster afflicted with a genetic disorder sown into their ranks by the Southers.

They are written by Gordon Rennie (Absalom, Judge Dredd) with art by Simon Coleby (The Authority) and Carl Critchlow (Batman/Judge Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle).

Stories include:

• Strigoi

• Circe

• Brothers in Arms

• Tartarus

Style: Paperback, 176 pages

Review

As mentioned, I am a fan of the Rogue Trooper storyline, so a chance to experience the villains' perspective couldn't be missed. With Gordon Rennie steering the story, I knew I would be in for a treat.

The main character is Atalia Jaegir, a captain within the Security Services. She leads a team of elite agents seeking out war criminals within the Nordland forces. As you can imagine, they are pretty unpopular and trusted by a few. They have great skill sets between them, be they a poisoner, tech specialists or just straight-up killers.

During one mission to find a war criminal, the team gets sucked into the murky waters of Nort military genetic experiments. The Norts ultimately damned themselves and created a gene curse within their ranks to create the perfect soldiers. Years later, the curse can affect anyone, regardless of rank or family line. Those affected become a killing machine with increased strength, speed and resistance. The only downside is they are completely uncontrollable! We also discover as the story progresses that Atalia Jaegir's family has a link to this curse, and it would seem her father is the leading force behind it.

The artwork is on point and creates a dark, industrial world always on a war footing. The world seems believable and aids in the storytelling. The story itself is very high; Rennie drew me in with his characters, world-building, and the over-arcing corruption of the military elite. There is a downside, though; the story ends without a follow-up! I need more Jaegir; where is book two?

I highly recommend this title, so do yourself a favour and buy a copy now!