This new comic from Dark Horse was just darn good. Not great or the worst thing I had to read this week, but plain ol’ good. I usually don’t like brut cop stories. I go more for the sensitive yet strong. So when I saw the cover and heard about this comic, I thought it would be terrible and follow some brut around town beating up nobodies. Instead we met Travis Clevenger or Clev, a huge dude who comes out of prison in order to work for the FBI. He specializes in dealing with the superhuman cases. The first time we met Clev, he is with his sister-in-law and her daughter. He is trying to fit in with the family and make a good “dad-lkie” figure for the girl. Clearly, his brother is dead, and now his sister-in-law wants Clev to be a part of the family. See this dude isn’t just some brut, but has some story behind him. It opens up a lot for the comic, instead of that one path. I find it cool that the comic didn’t exactly tell us what these superhumans are. They could be aliens, test subjects, or somehow just exist like mutants. By the little evidence we have, I would say they are test subjects. We also don’t know why Clev has such a big role in bringing these superhumans down. His partner is Saffron Bell, which first off is such a ballin’ name and well do I really need to have a second for that name. I like the duo these two make. They clearly know each other’s personal lives without being awkward when the other brings it up. That makes them more fun. There is certainly no sexual tension and then no friendship initiation, so it is just good partnership happening.
The first case we see involves a young man causing huge explosions with his rage. You can tell right away that this kid can’t control his powers. The cops try to take him down, but not before Clev has made a human connection with the fellow. Saffron is sort of in the background during this first issue. I hope she gets more in on the action once the series picks up.
The most fascinating part of the comic is the commercial Clev and Saffron see in the hospital. Bradley Morgenstern comes on the air to introduce his new product. It is super powers for anyone willing to pay him. He wants to give citizens the chance to protect themselves from the superhumans. He even does a screen test for all the applicants in order to ensure that they aren’t crazy and will use the power for good. Oh that sounds like a great plan. Although I am not going to lie, I would totally buy powers if I could. You never suspect that you would use powers for bad, so most citizens will probably jump at the chance.
This totally means more work for Clev and Saffron. And I’ll be damned if this Bradley guy doesn’t have something to do with the first superhuman we met. I was impressed with this comic bringing in some familiar plot lines but adding some key elements to freshen it up. I liked it and will have to come back to finish the mini-series. Plus, I have said this before, but mini-series are such a quick snap that is hard to just stop reading one even if it sucks. And since this one caught my eye, I want to see how Clev turns out and learn more about his troubles.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Dan Jolley Artist: Leonard Kirk Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/16/13