After a brief issue of Captain Midnight feeling sorry for himself, forgoing shaving, and becoming a hermit of sorts outside of an isolated little tumbleweed of a town in the Nevada desert, things occurred causing him to have to take action again. Namely, an old enemy dropped in to pay a visit. Let’s just say that it wasn’t a friendly one. And now, the visitor has taken the whole populace of the tumbleweed little town hostage demanding that Midnight show himself. What is our hero to do? Well show up and kick some ass of course. So begins Issue #14 of writer Joshua Williamson and artist Manuel Garcia’s epic retooling of the classic Captain Midnight character. A character who was once bigger than life in the 1940s and 50s. But somewhere down the road, he disappeared into history. With this run by Dark Horse Comics however, Captain Midnight isn’t only back, he is bringing it with hardcore action, technology, and deep enduring drama as our hero deals with being before his time, but now is stuck in a time that has passed him and his faithful values by, leaving them in the dust.
This has been a superhero tale that I have wolfed up ravenously each and every month since its beginning. Being a fan of lots of the old Fawcett Comics titles of which Captain Midnight is one, I have always had a keen interest in this redo. And Joshua Williamson has not disappointed at all bringing the classic hero back in his classic form with a more modern and dark element present making this Captain more than worthy of reading and following.
Issue #14 does not miss a beat as we get to see the Captain back in his element, going up against near impossible odds with just his wits to get him through as an EMP release (and the baddie attack) has disrupted his technology and weaponry. Never fear though, Captain Midnight specializes in the impossible and is ready to take the town back with the assistance of Agent Jones. But with the lives of several innocents on the line, will it be enough? You just have to read to find out.
Bringing up the second part of the issue, some of Midnight’s allies are at work in finding the elusive Chuck Ramsey. Once a very close friend to our Captain who has been revealed to be a traitor both as a friend and to the legacy of technology left by Midnight that was to usher in a better future. Ramsey has used to technology for evil. He now has all of the tech and all of the muscle now as Captain Midnight and his allies are left working small to try to take down this enemy.
What can I say about Captain Midnight? Well the short answer is that I love it. It is one of the few superhero comics that I am following religiously at the moment. And I give all credit to Dark Horse Comics, and especially to Joshua Williamson and Manuel Garcia for this love that I am giving to the title. Both the writing and the art are throwbacks to the Golden Age of comics with the modern use of darkness and deepness brought in to make Captain Midnight one of the more interesting superhero titles in the market right now. In fact, much of the Project Black Sky titles brought out by Dark Horse have been simply phenomenal minus just a couple of exceptions. Captain Midnight is the flagship and very worthy of that mantle that it carries.
As with the previous issues, #14 does not disappoint in any way whatsoever. Williamson’s writing with Garcia’s art flow are in perfect sync with one another eliciting a style that make every single page pop with excitement. It has been a hell of a run and I am looking forward to more as things are beginning to get pretty rough for our hero. Will he succeed? Will he survive? Will this title continue to deliver month after month? For the answers to all of those questions, you just have to read and see for yourself. I know that I will.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Joshua Williamson Artist: Manuel Garcia Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 8/27/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital