I hate it when a series I like is canceled. But I can't really say that about First Wave. I like the characters involved, and this story was good, the art was terrific - but it took far too long to get through it.
The first issue of this six-issue series was published a year ago, and given the long gap between issues, when I opened this final chapter I realized that I had almost no memory of the five previous issues - and that's always a bad sign.
But the concept was strong. The idea was to lump the pulp characters (Doc Savage, The Avenger) and other non-super-powered DC characters (Batman, Rima, The Spirit, The Blackhawks) into an alternate reality more in tune with their pulp origins.
This story included elements from early Doc Savage stories - the country Hidalgo and his recurring foe, John Sunlight - and added in giant robots, dinosaurs, a hidden city.
It was a worthy effort, but it all ends up in a hodge-podge of fights, explosions and swordplay.
I think this would have worked better if it had been published monthly - but now the line has apparently been canceled, so we'll have to wait for the next incarnation of these classic characters (except for Batman, natch).
I really like the art by Rags Morales (with Rick Bryant and Phil Winslade inking) - his characters are powerful, kinetic and sharply sculpted.
It's a shame this series (and the First Wave line) didn't catch on - it was a worthy effort at giving these characters a proper vehicle for their adventures. Hopefully the next attempt will be more successful.
Grade: B-
----------------
No comments:
Post a Comment