Somebody’s First Comic Book: Emissary #1

Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!

TITLE: Revelations 1:4

CREDITS:
Writer: Jason Rand
Pencils: Juan Perreyra
Inks: Clayton Brown
Letters: Bo Dukeshire
Colors: Angel Marin
Editor: Kristen Simon
Creator: Jim Valentino
Cover Artist: Juan Perreyra
Publisher: Image Comics/Shadowline

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: None. The cover looks like a bald giant is about to grab the Earth. Alternatively, a regular-sized bald man has shrunk the Earth to the size of a softball. I’m rather interested to see which one it is.

IMPRESSIONS: Neither, apparently. Emissary is an interesting little story that seems to follow multiple people’s reaction to a singular event: the appearance of a man in New York City that can evidently ignore the laws of gravity. Before his appearance we’re introduced to tw groups of people: a couple of people (they appear to be law-enforcement agents of some kind) whose hunt for a guy named Carson is interrupted as one of them struggles to deal with her divorce; and a reporter butting heads with his editor over whether he should pursue a “penny-ante mob story” or a juicier story that could bring down a senator. After this man floats into the air above New York, we watch an Air Force Captain angry over what she believes to be her marginalization in the department, even as jets scramble to track down this creature that has come to “bring you to enlightenment.”

The first issue ends on something of a cliffhanger, with our various cast members all staring up into the sky as the Emissary (as he calls himself) pulls off a very impressive display of power. We’re left not knowing who he is or why he’s there, is he there as a hero or a villain, anything at all really. I suppose that actually makes it a very good entry point for a new reader. And Jason Rand has done a very good job of making you curious. It’s a good starting point, and I wouldn’t mind reading the rest of it.

GRADE: B+

Morning Glories #2

September 26, 2010

Writer: Nick Spencer
Art: Joe Eisma
Colorist: Alex Sollazzo
Letterer: Johnny Loew
Cover: Rodin Esquejo
Editor: Kristen Simon
Publisher: Image Comics/Shadowline

In the first issue, Casey began her career at Morning Glory Academy, where families are encouraged to cut off all ties with their children… and those who don’t will pay the price. As she reels from seeing her parents murdered, she’s thrown into detention with the rest of our cast, all of whom have committed various crimes against the Academy already. As the group starts to bond in detention, they find themselves facing a punishment far worse than staying after school.

Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma have come up with one of the most original comic books I’ve found in years. These characters are each intriguing in their own right, and they’ve all come with their own sets of backstories, insecurities, neuroses and talents that are combining to make for an intriguing storyline. This is the kind of story where the stuff that’s already happened is just as interesting as what hasn’t happened yet. That’s pretty rare, and it takes a skilled writer to pull it off in a satisfying manner. Spencer has proven himself to me in just two issues. He’s given us characters that I find intriguing and that I want to learn more about, and a situation that’s baffling and engrossing all at once. This is a fantastic comic, well worthy of all the acclaim it’s gotten.

Rating: 10/10

Shadowhawk (2010) #3

August 16, 2010

Title: Resurrection Part 3

Writer: Dan Wickline
Art: Tone Rodriguez
Inker & Colorist: Frank Bravo
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover: Whilce Portacio
Editor: Kristen Simon
Publisher: Image Comics/Shadowline

Paul Johnstone is back on the streets, hunting for a murderer who has co-opted the routine of a stage magician who was famous for revealing the secrets of the trade. Paul isn’t having the easiest time himself, of course – returning from the dead doesn’t exactly restore one’s legal status, especially if you’ve been dead as long as Paul has been, but that’s not going to stop him from trying his damndest to clean up the streets.

This is a case where a comic book is actually hurt by the failings of another comic. Paul’s return happens in the pages of the Image United crossover. Unfortunately, that book is so horrendously delayed (and, to be frank, just plain horrendous) that three issues after his new solo series began, the parent miniseries hasn’t even gotten past the second issue yet, and there hasn’t been so much as a glimpse of Paul Johnstone in the first two. We already know the results of that miniseries, but the story hasn’t gotten there, and frankly, the excitement for that story has died off almost completely. It’s not really fair to hold that against this comic, but it’s also inevitable.

The book is further damaged by weak art. The layouts and figures are okay, but the finishes are very rough and uneven. Frank Bravo is a stronger colorist than inker, and it comes across in this issue.

I’ve been a fan of Shadowhawk since his earliest incarnation, and I’ll almost always be willing to give a new incarnation of the character a chance to grab me. This one is struggling, though.

Rating: 6/10