Review by Karl Verhoven
Far Cry is a phenomenally successful video game series running since 2004 with numerous spin-offs, yet with games now frequently adapted for comics it’s taken a surprisingly long time for Far Cry to take the jump. Esperanza’s Tears is a prequel to Far Cry 6, which is set on the fictional Latin American island of Yara where the game objective is to remove the dictator.
We’re introduced to Juan Cortez, a combination of Crocodile Dundee, Indiana Jones and the Punisher, brought to the island of Santa Clara to help the local guerillas overthrow a different dictatorship. Esperanza mentioned in the title is among them, and assigned as a guide to Cortez. A clever little touch on the part of writer Mathieu Mariolle is that it’s also the name of Cortez’s hometown on Yara.
Perhaps the highest compliment to give is that were Far Cry not part of the title you’d not know it was connected with the game. It is, and game players will take slightly more from Esperanza’s Tears, but anyone can pick this up and enjoy an unpredictable thriller equalling well established European brands (see recommendations). In the style of those examples the art is detailed and rich in personality. Both Arif Khaled and Salahdin Basti are credited without any hint as to the breakdown, but as the art is consistent throughout, it’s probably a pencil and ink combination, which is unusual in Europe. They define Cortez as looking dissolute and scruffy, always on the verge of a hangover, and Mariolle matches that by keeping readers guessing about his intentions. Cortez is seen in conversation with all parties hoping to rule Santa Clara, so is he really without principle and just out for the most money or is he loyal to a cause, and it’s all a pose? “I came here ten days ago with a ticket and a tourist visa under my real name”, Cortez explains to one powerful individual, “I managed to avoid all your tails without breaking a sweat. You didn’t summon me here. I accepted the invitation.”
It’s clever setting events outside Yara because it removes the certainty of how they’re likely to play out, but it also follows the general theme of Far Cry 6. Cortez can at least be trusted to want the money, but others have different loyalties, and while it falters slightly when Cortez begins to pour his heart out and heads into ideological discussion Esperanza’s Tears rapidly picks up again for the climax. The revelation isn’t going to come as any great surprise, but the method of reaching it is well thought out, and we’re left with a solid thriller and viable prelude.
