Review: Mass Effect: Homeworlds #3

The comic book series Mass Effect: Homeworlds started off rough with a so-so story about James Vega. Then it got a little better with the second book staring Tali’Zorah nar Rayya. But with the third issue things got really interesting when it was about one of my favorite Mass Effect characters, Garrus Vakarian. So that means that this review can either go one of two ways. One, it gets really scrutinized beyond belief or two it gets a free pass. Why?  Because it’s Garrus, dawg!  

Palaven the Turian home world--a young Garrus’ arms tremble as he attempts to raise an Avenger sniper rifle at his training targets. His father stands over him telling him that no matter what happens don’t stop and always try harder in everything you do. Basically be the best.

From that moment on the story takes you through different points of Garrus’ life. It jumps around from his past to paint a picture of the Turian solider. Now on Omega he keeps a band of thugs pinned down as he extracts his own vengeance as the Archangel but before his life went down another path, that of  a C-Sec officer (a cop) at the Citadel.

While answering to his father in his C-Sec role, Garrus shows that he has a hard time fitting into the system and tends to push too hard to close a case. This puts a rift between the father and son reinsuring the thought that Garrus has always kept with him, he may never be able to live up to his father’s expectations. 

Soon the Citadel is attacked, changing everything. Feed up with the red tape that comes with the job, Garrus runs around like Vic Mackey from the televisions show the Shield. Getting things done no matter what the cost, C- Sec or not, if you’re scum Garrus will get you.

After realizing he can’t make the impact he wants with the C-Sec rule and regulations on the Citadel, he takes his talents to Omega, a space station built in the mined-out husk of a metallic asteroid— a lawless place, basically the wild west of the galaxy.

The moment Garrus arrives he’s making an impact on the thugs there. Soon he recruits like minded individuals there who were victims of the crime on Omega. As a hell bent posse they send the word to the underground that the party is over and to tell their friends. Their impact is felt until the gangs get organized and pushes back. Soon it’s just Garrus with his back up against the wall, until an old friend shows up.

In all honesty you’re going to buy this if you want to. But it is the best of the series. Why? Because it does everything it needed to do by taking a Mass Effect staple in Garrus and expands on him. It does this well by using his relationship with his father and his adventures in between ME 1 and ME 2. Art wise I would have liked to see a cleaner style used in the beginning of the book. It would have shown a deep contrast between the young Gurrus in the Citadel – C-Sec days then it could have gotten rough and dirty when he gets super badass when he’s the Archangel droppin’ fools on Omega; but I digress.

I know that I’ve been pretty hard on this series –it’s just because I care so much. Even though most ME fans will know about most of the events, it was just really cool to see them again.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Mac Walters, John Dombrow, Jeremy Barlow

Artist: Garry Brown

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $3.99

Release Date: 07/25/2012