Real Ones: Lemire’s Latest
No/One #1
Kyle Higgins, Brian Buccellato, Geraldo Borges, Mark Englert
Image
No/One takes place in Kyle Higgins’ Massiverse, in Pittsburgh PA, where the anti-hero and hacktivist, No/One, has exposed the crimes of some of the more prominent people in the city through videos and data drops, detailing their crimes. This is followed by murders of said people by an anonymous killer who goes by the name, Richard Roe. He is eventually found and taken into custody. Roe is soon discovered to be Aaron Kern, son of decorated police officer Ben Kern. After Kern is arrested, there are three copycat killers, one of whom kills a fourth man exposed by No/One. By the end of the first issue, Ben Kern, himself is shot and wounded by the third copycat, but No/One appears to save his life. Kern’s other son, Aaron is also murdered, right at the end of the issue.
It’s a police procedural, where the main character, Ben Kern, is the most interesting and layered. No/One takes on a type of modern superhero persona, watching from above the city and swooping in, just in time to save people in need. Aaron Kern, the alleged murderer, Richard Roe, also holds some potential to being a key character in the story moving forward.
I was struck by the beautiful cover art and design before reading this first double-sized issue. I would recommend this on the premise alone, but it does seem like it could have used some major editing to get to the heart of the story. While No/One, stylistically is strong, the issue was too concerned with minor characters, but the series definitely has potential. It also has a real-life podcast, where the Metro Editor of the fictional Pittsburgh Ledger, is voiced by Patton Oswalt.
The Neighbors #1
Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Letizia Cadonici, Alessandro Santoro
Boom!
This first issue of The Neighbors has a really familiar feel to the Something Is Killing The Children Universe, because the artist, Letizia Cadonici, also works on House of Slaughter. The Neighbors fits well alongside the Tynion canon and is equally as creepy as SIKTC. The opening line, “The truth of anything lies mostly beneath its surface”, foreshadows what lies ahead. This is a story about a family that moves to a strange town where they don’t fit in (Oliver is a trans man, Casey is a vegan, Janet has recently left Casey’s mother for Oliver), and is inhabited by some strange neighbors. Oliver is afraid to leave the house because of the old woman next door, who is performing a ritual involving milk and a snake. She tells the mother, Janet, “The people here make good neighbors. Remember that. Someone is looking for you.” There’s a mysterious being that approaches Casey at night, towards the end of the issue. When she’s taken away, Oliver is forced to leave the house to find her.
It’s an intriguing first issue and highly recommended. Cadonic’s artwork is truly amazing and adds life to the pages. There also seems to be some Invasion of the Body Snatchers action happening at the end which should be super cool, going forward. There’s something wicked beneath the surface in this strange town and it’s going to be interesting to do some digging.
Phantom Road #1, Jeff Lemire, Gabriel H. Walta, Image
Jeff Lemire’s latest series is a story about a trucker named Dom, who on a routine drive comes across a car crash. First, however, we see him stare into the night on his route, face reflecting in the windshield. This becomes a motif, where later he sees his own face as a child, and then that of his father, after a flashback to an unpleasant childhood memory of his parents fighting. Dom pulls up to a truck stop where he’s offered speed, has a cup of coffee, encounters a strange man in the men’s room singing a song about the highway. You know, normal trucker stuff…
Back on the road at night, Dom’s truck screeches to a halt, barely hitting an overturned car. At the scene is one body, thrown from the vehicle, and a woman who’s still in shock, and has experienced some kind of out of body experience. Behind the car, Dom finds a mysterious object, which he touches and suddenly he and the woman are transported to a bright desert landscape. There’s a figure out in the desert that Dom approaches. What at first seems like a victim, quickly turns on him. Before he and the woman can escape in the truck, they see more of the alien beings approaching.
It’s an intriguing story with a lot of question marks. Where are they? Who are the aliens? What was the mysterious object in the road? The writing is strong, as usual, from Lemire. Gabriel Walta’s artwork is really great and complements the mood of the story. I liked the first issue, but it seems like it’s just the first piece of the puzzle. I’m willing to hang on and keep reading to find out more.
