Indie superhero books are tough. The creators have basically picked the biggest genre in the industry and said, “I have something you should read too.” I’ll be honest. I shy away from Indie superhero titles. Most of the ones I read are sent to me for review because it’s not a genre I seek out. I don’t even read regular superhero titles anymore so indie ones aren’t my go-to, to fill that void. Occasionally though I stumble upon one that’s sent to that’s worth the effort in reading it. Either because it really has something new and fresh for the genre like Fallen: Self Made Man or is just ridiculously good and entertaining like Henchgirl. Lindsay isn’t quite as strong as the aforementioned titles, but I didn’t mind it.
Lindsay is about an alien woman that’s living among us as a superhero. The first issue introduces us to her, her friend and her nemesis, but not much else. What the story does manage to do is give the world history. You definitely get the impression that Lindsay and her friend have known each other for a bit and that this nemesis has plagued her before.
Unfortunately, there’s not much else to the first issue. It’s a quick read which saves it a lot in my opinion, but it’s not quite to the point of holding my interest, which is okay. It is the first issue after all and no first issue is perfect and rarely do you find character development handed out when just barely given the status quo.
The dialogue is natural sounding and not distracting. I did find the pacing and the interaction with Lindsay’s friend awkward. She sees him from afar and just says “I know him”, but then when they talk it’s a bit more than that. I say that when it’s someone I hardly know, not someone who knows I’m an alien and superhero. Not that I’m either of those things.
The story also felt rushed which is weird since it was a smooth read. There’s no real conflict developed. We have the tease of the super-villain and the reveal of something having happened to Lindsay, but we know too little about either of them to be excited by either of these events.
The art is solid. The character designs and world have a stylized vibe that fit the world. My one and only gripe is that the backgrounds we’re pretty empty and the world itself looked too clean. It ended up just looking like clean lines rather than a living breathing city. There’s a greenish hue to the entire world which I think works for the story. It definitely makes it stand out and in a way covers up the sterile look of the world. Still I would like to see a piece of trash or a rounded roof rather than a series of square boxes.
Lindsay isn’t bad, but I don’t know what it wants to be either. Is this a slice of life superhero story in which heroics happen to occur or are the heroics the focus? We see a bit of Lindsay’s life, but nothing that’s incredibly interesting outside of her powers. There’s some humor, but then there seems to be this human element of connecting to people as well. Right now, there’s a lot of ways the story could go. We’re only given a sampling of everything and it makes the first issue just okay. There’s a lot of room for improvement with the story’s pacing and again what it wants to be isn’t clear yet, but then also with the art as well. Some of it you’ll just blow through since it’s a fast read, but when you really digest it… there’s not much to digest. Still, it’s a solid effort and I might even check out more.
Score: 2/5
Lindsay #1 Writer: Zack Lyman Artist: Kelly Coats Price: $1.50 Purchase Here