I am going to try to talk about this comic as best I can but honestly, I didn’t get it. Jumping into a comic is hard without any backstory, so knowing very little about this number one issue I thought I would give it a try since it is a new series coming from Image and it has Charlie Adlard’s name attached. Adlard is typically Adlard with his black and white style and his people always looking their part. But I can’t get by with just art on this comic. Here we go. So apparently there is this news team from the 50s that investigate crimes and have made a name for themselves. They work for Channel 7 news and are about to get handed a case that will lead to something big. We start with three men in a news van hurrying to the latest crime scene. To say I didn’t understand the first two pages of this comic is an understatement. They flew past me and it allowed no time for clear characterization to take place and no time for me to even catch their names. Maybe I missed something or maybe I don’t understand reporting, so I blame myself a bit but as the comic progressed, I felt more and more confused. It seems that each character has some distinctive attitude or a way with dealing but it was so hard to catch up with once you missed the first round that giving up felt like the better option. Confusion is fine in comics just as long as you have something to hold on to.
After the crime scene, the gang suddenly and without warning go off to Peru. Again, the plot seems to be moving but I am left behind. You have some Colonel in charge spitting out a lot of orders and scaring everyone. The gang is over the head with this newest mission. Ok I have spent a lot of time just criticizing this issue, but really it boils down to some simple things. I see no astronauts. I don’t understand the mission. And from reading the plot synopsis, I see no Russian spies. So what does a news crew have to do with all of this? It is a lot to take in.
I don’t think I will be suggesting this comic any time soon. I don’t think Larry Young is a bad writer at all. Quite the opposite actually. What I think happened was a bad choice on my part. I had no backstory on the comic, and not being a particularly knowledgeable person of the 50s, I was lost one panel in. I would say pick this comic if you are a Young fan. Otherwise, grab something else week.
Score: 2/5
Astronauts in Trouble #1 Writer: Larry Young Artist: Charlie Adlard Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 6/17/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital