Review: Warhammer 40,000 - Sisters of Battle (Marvel)
NUNS WITH GUNS!
Zak Webber
It's a killer combo. And these are some very tough nuns with some very big guns. These Sisters are definitely doing it for themselves...
Welcome to Warhammer 40,000 - Sisters of Battle by writer Torunn Grønbekk and artist Edgar Salazar. The Warhammer 40,000 universe - originally from the miniature wargame by Games Workshop (beginning in 1987) - is a far future setting in which humanity is locked in a never-ending war with creatures of 'Chaos'. These beings originate from the Warp, a dimension which is the source of paranormal energy.
Welcome to Warhammer 40,000 - Sisters of Battle by writer Torunn Grønbekk and artist Edgar Salazar. The Warhammer 40,000 universe - originally from the miniature wargame by Games Workshop (beginning in 1987) - is a far future setting in which humanity is locked in a never-ending war with creatures of 'Chaos'. These beings originate from the Warp, a dimension which is the source of paranormal energy.
The Imperium of Man is perpetually battling these beings, ruling the galaxy with a strict military-based ethos based upon the religious worship of the Emperor ... who has been dead for over ten thousand years but still sits on the golden throne, a symbol of hope and strength for the faithful.
Imperium culture is a mixture of influences, mostly medieval European Christianity and 20th century war motifs: here be Space Marines in cathedral-like star cruisers, Inquisitors, heretics, a tank with a stained-glass window... and the aforementioned nuns. In this 'grimdark' universe, these Sisters are not to be trifled with. No meek and mild maidens these; here we have battle-hardened, tough as nails, gun-toting warriors. Driven by their unwavering faith in the Emperor, to whom they sing hymns as they mow down monstrosities from beyond our reality, they are on a mission to root out heresy wherever it may be found.
Heretics are those who are seduced by the forces of Chaos, an influence that offers power and freedom to a populace suffering under the yoke of galactic feudalism. Such corruption is dealt with harshly by the Imperium and its military forces.
The planet Siscia is a remote mining post, a source of the essential ore promethium, used as fuel for the Imperium's battle engines. Built within the ruins of a long-dead alien civilisation, its inhabitants toil endlessly in the refineries, their lives cut short by the toxic environment. One day the workers staged a riot that soon blossomed into an all-out religious war. This was no simple peasant's revolt (as justified as that may have been); the rebels are driven by subversive promises of liberation and transformation, whispering the mantra "This is what humanity was meant to be."
Time to send in the nuns. A squad of Adepta Sororitas Battle Sisters are charged with the mission of infiltrating the mines in order to apprehend a corrupted Inquisitor and deliver him into custody. They are led by Canoness Veridyan, her badass credentials exemplified by her imposing appearance: a breastplate consisting of two human skulls...
The story draws deeply on the immense richness of the Warhammer 40k lore, which is a tour de force of galactic worldbuilding. In this grimdark universe there are heroes but no good sides; the Imperium is a brutal dictatorship, barely the lesser of two evils. Grønbekk revels in this ambiguity, portraying pious warriors who never hesitate to exterminate the faithless; a savage combination of witchfinders and stormtroopers wiping out the impure.
Salazar brings the Sisters to life with energy and a sharp eye for detail (their armour includes much in the way of high-tech religious motifs). Chaos monsters are suitably grotesque and fearsome and the claustrophobic air of the subterranean environment comes across palpably.
Something sinister lies at the heart of Siscia, tainting the planet and opening its inhabitants to corruption. Can the Sisters root out the source of the infection before a whole world is lost to the forces of Chaos?
Zak Webber
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