The first issue of Blackout left a sour taste in my mouth. I wanted desperately to get rid of it. It was one of those comics where I wanted to love it from the beginning. I like the reluctant hero gig, but it has been done. So this comic needed something bigger. You catch up with Scott and Ash trying to solve the death of a friend. The friend, Bob, works at Mechatronics. He has disappeared and the day of this, Scott found a mysterious package at his door. The package contained this suit. Once Scott realized that the suit could transfer you into parallel universes, he had to use it, duh. Scott and Ash decide to use the suit to find Bob. Their evidence is limited and with any big corporation, there are so many trails to follow. The concept was cool. Any dimension jumpers usually get my attention. That is exactly why I had to test drive issue #2 to see if I could finally dive into this blackhole. Colin Lorimer brings probably my favorite part about this comic and that is the art and coloring. The comic is set with some dark tones and rightfully so. The suit that Scott wears is exactly what a parallel universe suit would like in the future. It protects him from the cold, has a breathing unit attached, and very robot like. I also like the blues involved in the issues. This may sound weird but hear me out. Mechatronics and everyone in this comic deal with computers. So not only do we see a lot of screen reflections, but also just some blue reflections throughout the comic. I love the shadowing, and I also think that is trying to show the advancement of computers in our world and the future. Even when Scott goes into his parallel places, he is in this shadow of blue. It is cool to see the overlapping and the detail put into it.
The story is slow moving. It is something that takes some time to get used to especially with a perceived action comic. Literally nothing new happens with Bob. Like nothing. We learn that the agents coming to Mechatronics are bad, but that was so obvious last issue. I don’t even get why Scott and Ash want to find out about Bob. To me, it seems they are way in over their heads. I get the slow moving of the plot since Scott is trying to understand his powers. But it seems he has a good handle on it or at least that is what we are lead to believe in the beginning. It just had too little of a plot shift for me to again really love this comic.
I can’t get over these clear missing links. Blackout has got some work cut out for him to make me want more. My mark is now three issues. If I can’t get hooked in three consecutive issues, any spot in the series, and fall in love then I am out. Blackout doesn’t have anything bigger the surface right now. Dive into Bob’s death or big corporations. Hell even rob a bank for your own selfish needs, but stay on point with the plot and I will be back.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Frank J. Barbire Artist: Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 4/30/14