If there’s one war that I’m tired of visiting, it’s the Vietnam War. And yet there have been not one, but two comics series that have used some element of that war as it’s backdrop that I have enjoyed. The first was Big Man Plans and while Just Another Sheep is nowhere near the same, it’s still has an entertaining first issue. Again, I’m not comparing the two at all, so don’t get it twisted. It’s the 60s… gross right? Just kidding, I’m sure they were great. We find our main character Banning as he’s being harassed on a bus on its way to Boston. The two thugs find his “Peace” patch un-American and are looking to cut him. For some reason the bus driver really enjoys this and doesn’t step in. This forces Banning to use his powers, that is to say he can make people feel any pain or affliction that he’s experienced. He makes one experience a broken arm from his past and the other the worst food poisoning he’s ever had. This gets Banning kicked off the bus for some reason and now he’s stuck without any money and only half way to Boston.
While he’s sulking he meets a hippy chick that takes him into her fold. She’s beautiful so of course he goes along with her. That and he has no backbone. She promises him a ride, but that ride continues to get further and further away until he finds himself in some deep shit.
What I like about the title of this book is that it really does describe Banning. He’s the sheep. He goes along with anything anyone suggests and it’s not really clear as to why. It definitely makes his character more interesting though. Combine his passive personality with his powers and it’s something that comics really haven’t seen. The writing is good. We have a complete picture of who Banning is by the end of the issue as a lot of character development is done along the way.
The art is a tremendous part of this issues success. It captures the era in several ways, but my favorite was a trippy splash page. Usually I hate trippy pages in general and I like them even less when they’re a splash page. With Just Another Sheep, the page actually serves the story and isn’t annoying.
Whooo. Thank goodness.
The line work is very clean and again has a style the fits the era. The coloring is very impressive as well. It too helps the book feel like the 60s with the color tones, but it’s just some wonderful coloring in general. There’s a lot of depth to the coloring when it comes to clothing and faces. The lighting effects are realistic as well which is something I’m appreciating more and more in comics.
This is an interesting first issue for sure. I don’t know where the story is going to end up. Hell, I don’t know what the second issue has in store, but I’m curious. I’m curious to see if our “sheep” can be something more. Can he change and grow while controlling his powers? If you like books with superpowers like the X-Men, then check this one out.
Score: 4/5
Just Another Sheep #1 Writer: Mat Heagerty Artist: JD Faith Colorist: Jon Cairns Letterer: Ed Brisson Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/11/15 Format: Print/Digital