Image Comics reviews 3/26/25 – GI Joe RAH 315, Bitter Root: The Next Movement #1
Bitter Root: The Next Movement #1
The Next Movement ushers in a new era of the acclaimed Bitter Root series. Creators David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene make a seismic shift in the time frame departing The Harlem Renaissance Era to one ripe with storyline possibilities — the mid 1960s and the Civil Rights Era.
Naturally with the time jump, some things have changed since last the Sangrye Family was headlining the comic. Most of the familiar faces are no longer among the loving save for Blink.
Now much older and the matriarch of the New York branch, Blink runs the operations instead of being on the front line.
The Jinoo have not been a prominent prompting some factions of the Bureau to not consider them a threat anymore. And that might hold true if it weren’t for a savage attack on a bus of freedom riders in Mississippi that seems very much like the handiwork of the Jinoo.
One of those freedom riders is related to a bigwig in Washington prompting federal officials, Steele and York, to track them down. Provided they survived the initial onslaught on the bus.
MORE:
- G.I. Joe Classified Series Leatherneck review (No. 148)
- DC Comics reviews 3/12/25 – Absolute Superman 5, Aquaman 3
- Image Comics reviews 3/12/25 – Transformers 18, Redcoat #10
- McFarlane Collector Edition Power Girl review No. 31 (2025)
The feds aren’t the only ones on the case as Blink sends Meriah Manigo and one of her children to investigate. The new dynamic with a less than evolved Southern police department and federal agents already familiar with Meriah is immediately intriguing.
Greene’s artwork is so full of personality giving readers so much to take in on every panel. Matt Herms’ rich color work sets the tone for the various settings so well and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou adds that intangible extra to make the dialogue and sound effects more memorable.
The Next Movement could potentially be even more impactful than its predecessors with such a juicy period in American history. The creative team has lost none of their effectiveness and in the current political climate, The Next Movement could be the next big thing in thought-provoking and action-packed comics.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10