Once again it’s on.
I have to apologize for the hiatus, I know it’s been a long time and I left you without a dope book to read. That changes with the second (sort of) week of Comics in Color. This week I’ve got some more superpowered goodness minus the capes and tights, as well as some technological swagger jacking.
For the patriotic sort, take a look at One Nation”#1 (Jason Revees / Alverne Ball / Luis Guerrero / John Ruben Milton; 133 Studios) Described as “Superman meets the Hurt Locker”, One Nation tells the story of Deacon, a soldier fighting in the Iraq War in 1991. After being pinned down in a firefight, he is forced to reveal powers that he promised his parents he’d keep hidden in order to save the lives of his squad. What follows is the opening salvo in a superhero arms race that will shape the world for years to come.
The great thing about this book is the substance that it presents. Without spoiling the story, the first time Deacon meets his parents is more real than any Ma and Pa Kent iteration I’ve ever read. The implications of how his parents raised him can also be seen as an audit on how society forces parents to raise black boys, fearing the world outside and being worried about unjust persecution. There is also a bit of universe building at work here as we find out the end of the issue that Deacon is only the first public superhuman in his world and that there are a lot more with very specific purposes to be revealed later.
Check One Nation out at the author's website.
Secondly, for you sci-fi heads out there Check out Tech Watch #1 (Radi Lewis / Ernesto Vicente / Mike Borromeo; Chameleon Creations): Weaving the story of Isaiah — who is what would happen if Tony Stark was Suge Knight — and his successful attempts at hostile takeovers of technology firms smaller than his own, the first issue opens up with his organization Tech Watch running up in the office of one Dr. Lyons and literally picking his brain clean via memory imaging technology. This results in the good doctor's death, but where advance technology is concerned nothing is permanent and the ghosts of conquest come back to haunt our protagonist.
What I like about this book is that the main character makes himself so unlikable. The plot brings to mind Eminem and Royce da 5’9’s Bad meets Evil, because you really can’t tell who the good guy is. The concept of the Techwatch is a cool one; almost like what might’ve happened if Tony Stark never got that shrapnel lodged in his heart and became more aggressive in his acquisition of other people’s companies. The tech in the story is cool, imaginative and exactly what you would need for hostile takeover, a very hostile takeover.
So if you’re in the mood for a sci-fi thriller look no further than Tech Watch. You can pick this comic up in on their website.
