Quick Boom! Reviews

Let's take a look at some recent #1s from Boom! Studios (all comics $3.99 ea.):

From top to bottom, Salvador #1 (writers: Mark Polish, Michael Polish & Sebastian Jones; artist: Steph Stamb) look sand feels like a repurposed Silver Surfer proposal. A mysterious, silver-tinged, faceless humanoid falls to Earth, gliding on a couple of large feathers. In this wordless issue, full of many full-page splash panels, he just kind of glides around. It looks pretty, but it's over very quick and feels very derivative.


Also somewhat derivative, but this time overtly, is Dominion #1, a repackaging of Keith Giffen & Ross Richie's aborted Image series from a few years back. This time out the action moves from Australia to Chicago, courtesy of writer Michael Alan Nelson & artist Tim Hamilton. All over the city random people break out with barely controllable super-powers, apparently as a prelude to some sort of alien attack. Hopefully this time out the series will last long enough that we'll get a feel of what's going on.


Hunter's Moon #1, written by Oscar winner James L. White and drawn by Dalibor Talajic, is the story of a corporate mover-and-shaker who takes him estranged son on a rural hunting trip. But things veer into thriller territory when things go wrong. Having the main characters be an African-American family in what would typically be the domain of white protagonists is not only encouraging from a diversity point of view, but also brings race issues subtly into the mix. This is an effective first issue that leaves the reader wanting to see what happens next.


2 Guns #1 is one of the most effective first issues I've read in a while. The story starts off with what looks like an homage to Pulp Fiction, but quickly veers off in a multitude of direction. At the core there's an undercover DEA agent who ends up planning a bank heist, with motives that may or may not be entirely pure. Veteran writer Steven Grant shows that he's still got plenty of writing chops, and artist Mat Santolouco is with him every step of the way (and special notice for colorists from Popart Studios, whose bright colors help the story to pop off the page). The story if full of plot, action, and characterization, without ever feeling too rushed or condensed.

Ratings:
Salvador #1: 2 (of 5)
Dominion #1: 3 (of 5)
Hunter's Moon #1: 3.5 (of 5)
2 Guns #1: 4 (of 5)

(review copies of the above comics were provided by the publisher)