Terra #1 (of 4)

I should probably admit (if I haven't already) that when it comes to comic books, I'm a story man.

Which is to say, in most cases I am more a fan of the writer than the artist. For example, I'll follow Alan Moore on any comic. If he was writing Millie the Model, I'd buy it. Geoff Johns is in the same category, and so is Brian Bendis. And Stan Lee, of course. There are others, but you get the idea.

There are certain artists I will follow with the same devotion (I'll save that list for another time), but one of the newest members of the list is Amanda Conner.

I'm hard-pressed to explain why I like her work so much - it's not terribly flashy or unique, and her page layouts aren't unusual - but her work has that special spark, a sense of fun and energy that shows up only with certain artists. She's great at capturing expressive faces, and her characters are attractive and engaging.

I always enjoy her work, so I try to pick up everything she draws - including this mini-series about the character named Terra. (No offense intended to the writers of the comic - Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti - who do solid work here.)

I have to admit that I don't know much about this character. The original Terra was a character in the Marv Wolfman / George Perez New Teen Titans series - a classic story that did not end well for that young woman (but it was an excellent story - I'm trying not to spoil it for anyone out there who hasn't read it).

In a story I'm not familiar with, another Terra took the name for a while - and now a third Terra is on the scene, and this one I only know from an appearance in a recent issue of Supergirl, also drawn by Conner.

Now Terra is back in her own mini-series, and by the end of the issue we still don't know much about her, except that she's sort of a protector of the creatures that live underground - and apparently there are lots of different creatures down there.

It's too early to tell where this is going, but it's off to an interesting start. And I love the art!

Grade: B