This week, there are some solid new #1’s on the shelves, with work by a pair of legendary artists with new visions. Just for fun, there are also two titles from last week that got passed over, so I’ll throw them in to this week’s mix. Who’s giving us solid characters and admirable ideas, and who’s just blowing stuff up? Let’s take a look.
First up is the most impressive comic in scope this week, to be certain. It’s Masks #1, from Dynamite! Entertainment, written by Chris Roberson (Fables, iZombie) and painted by the inimitable Alex Ross (Kingdom Come). Ross is one of the most sought after cover artists in the business, and his painted work here is fantastic as usual. Masks is something of a comic super-group, but it’s unlike anything you might see in the Avengers or Justice League. Dynamite is the comic house that has embraced the heroes of the past, with some of the oldest street vigilante characters, like The Shadow, and The Green Hornet and Kato. Now, they are bringing all of them together in one classic tale of trench coats, fists, and.45’s. The book features the aforementioned classic characters, who each star in their own Dynamite series as well, as well as Dynamite’s newly created 30’s era vigilante, the Spider, and fan favorite Zorro. These are heroes who’ve given up relying on the law to solve society’s problems, and they are ready to dispense their own brand of justice. Gathering together in New York City, they’re ready to fight a corrupted political regime determined to bring that old ‘30’s era villain, Fascism, right into America’s greatest city. The book does feature some solid characters of color, including the ever popular Kato, and a pre-mask appearance by Raphael Vega. It did seem excessive to have the corrupt police officers, who serve as the story’s villains, refer to him with a racist epithet. Granted, the writers are trying to establish both the time period and the vile nature of the bad guys, but it still was jarring and could have been handled another way. Still, we’re sure to see these racist thug cops get their comeuppance, and it’ll be nice to see it come at the hands of two characters of very different origins. One hopes Roberson treats them with respect, but I’ll be back to see what happens.
Alex Ross isn’t the only big-time artist with a new project. Michael Allred, the creator of Madman, takes the reins on the latest #1 from the MarvelNOW! line, FF #1. Two weeks ago we saw the Fantastic Four prepare to leave space and time on a new journey, but Reed Richards would never leave the planet and his Future Foundation of talented super children without protection. Thus, the new Future Foundation and Fantastic Four are born, and the recruiting process is rather unusual, to say the least. Former FF place-filler She-Hulk returns to the lineup, along with several rarely seen (and nearly forgotten) characters, including Ant-Man and Medusa of the Inhumans. These offbeat characters, combined with Allred’s pop art style, lend an air of whimsy to the story that helps to balance out the idea that it’s … well, ridiculous. Why would Johnny Storm’s girlfriend, a previously unknown woman named Darla Deering, suddenly become “Ms. Thing?” when there is already a She-Thing in the Marvel Universe? Why must female versions of previously established male superheroes become stand-in members of one of comic’s oldest super hero franchises? Why isn’t Spider-Man asked to join, as he’s a regular FF stand-in and a member of the Future Foundation? There are way too many questions here, but it doesn’t seem to matter to writer Matt Fraction, who is known for his out there approach. That said, it’s cool to see a super group made up almost entirely of women that’s not a “women’s supergroup” a la the Birds of Prey, but an established tent pole franchise at a major comics house that is suddenly full of powerful ladies. Let’s hope the folks at Marvel keep doing justice to them.
Probably the most interesting new story this week comes from Image (who else?). Nowhere Men #1 begins the tale of four scientific geniuses who establish World Corp. in their youth, argue, and eventually go their separate ways, as success takes its toll on their mega-corporation and their ideal (in the form of a genetically engineered gorilla that seems to be made of geodes and fire, or something), and their eventual abandonment of a group of fellow scientific geniuses who’ve contracted some sort of unusual virus while working on a secret space station orbiting the Earth. Get all that? The narrative is actually well crafted, even with all that in it, and uses alternative story telling techniques beyond simple panels and dialogue to fill in the gaps, rather effectively I might add. There are several characters of color here with powerful voices, including the “heart and soul” of World Corp., Dade Ellis, who is something of a compelling Shaft-meets-science-stud sort of character, giving sound fashion advice that “well-made shoes are indispensable.” There’s also a burgeoning lesbian relationship among the outer-space cast-aways that’s handled well here, and all in all this book has TONS of potential and zero spandex, making it one of my favorite kinds of comics.
There were certainly some duds this week as well, largely because they aren’t really #1s at all. Dark Horse’s Star Wars – Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan is yet another tale of the ancient past of the Star Wars Universe that has little to nothing to do with the beloved characters most of us are familiar with. This is a tale of the founding of the Jedi Knights, known in these ancient days as the Jed’ii sect, and while there are Force practitioners and light sabers, there is little else here to make fans of this particular universe all that excited. Image’s Witch Doctor: Mal Practice #1 is a gory horror tale about Dr. Morrow, who in this iteration is a bit of Dr. Gregory House meets Dr. Strange. He wears a white suit and cures children of demonic possession, but can’t seem to sort out his own personal life, or get along very well with his coworkers. This is simply the beginning of a new mini-series featuring previously established characters, and having not read the previous works, I was deeply confused. However, there is promise in the strong female character known as Penny Dreadful. Penny, who dresses like a slacker Red Riding Hood and has a serious case of demonic possession of her own, seems to be the good Doctor’s supernatural muscle, if you will, and though she’s largely silent, when she does act and speak, she does it with gory gusto, making her the most interesting person in the book. Lastly, Dark Horse Brings us the new mini-series R.I.P.D. #1: City of the Damned. This is meant to reintroduce the characters from the popular 2001 miniseries and tie in to the film set to be released next summer, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. Here, police officers and other enforcers of law and order are drafted into the Rest In Peace Department, having met untimely deaths, and they solve supernatural crimes while trying to earn points towards a more pleasant afterlife. It’s a rather thin, and poorly named, premise, but there are moments of humor in it from time to time. The story centers on the origin of the main supporting character, named Pulsipher (the original characters name was Roy Powell, so presumably this is a movie set-up), and it feels overall like we’re not looking at the most interesting part of the story. I suppose time will tell, but I may not be back when it does.
And finally, as promised, two #1’s that hit the shelves last week that can’t be ignored.
First up is The Adventures of Augusta Wind #1, a darkly frenetic tale about a teenage girl who might be the hero of an Alice in Wonderland type fantasy, or might be simply losing her mind. Augusta is an imaginative young girl, fond of telling fantastical stories to her younger brother and sister about her adventures in a far away magical land. But when characters from those adventures begin to bleed into real life, Augusta is no longer sure who she is, or if she ever really knew at all. The unbelievable art by Vassilis Gogtzilas creates a dark mirror to a fairy tale that seem only slightly familiar and darkly real at the same time.
The second of last week’s passed over #1’s was the series I was most excited about. Grace Randolph’s Supurbia #1 is the first issue in the now ongoing series that began with a four issue limited run from Boom! Studios. Randolph is the powerhouse writer who made Ms. Marvel into Captain Marvel this past year, and this ongoing continuation of her blockbuster feminist super hero book is a welcome addition to any regular reading list. 
Superbia is not just another story about a series of superhero analogues, in which Superman is the snobby and superior Sovereign, and Nightfox and Agent Twilight (think Batman and Robin) are embroiled in a torrid homosexual affair. Supurbia is the literal comic interpretation of the idea that behind every good man, there’s an even better woman. While in some cases that might not always be true, and in other cases the gender roles can be all kinds of twisted, Supurbia brings real humanity to the genre with a feminine perspective and supportive family dynamic that’s rare in most comics. At times it did feel a little like Desperate Super-Housewives, but it’s a book with real humanity, loaded with complex female characters trying to find their way in an adventurous world we all just thought we knew.
So, head on down to your local comic shop and pick up the best of the best, and come back next week for more new stories in comics!
