
Aftershock Comics 2016
Created & Written by Mark Waid & Tom Peyer
Illustrated by Wilfredo Torres
Coloured by Kelly Fitzpatrick
Lettered by A Larger World
Actually ya know what I liked the way this book opened. Chris’ 45th Birthday at a bar where the talk about “old timers” and “young guns” felt as much like an observation about what’s happening inside the industry as in the real world. It’s also an interesting way to get to know a cast of characters personalities as well. It’s markedly different generation than the kids today who have cell phones, apps and such glued to their eyeballs so that getting out in the real world with friends is as foreign as a time when vinyl, 8-tracks or the radio were your only music choices.
I also like the idea behind Chris being Captain Kid as well. He’s what about seventeen as the costumed crimefighter so it’s like being Shazam only in reverse. The symbol on his chest I am sure has something to do with his powers and how he’s able to transform so I look forward to learning more about that as the story continues. In the meantime it should come as no surprise that he’s able to the keep the mind of his older self I mean just cause his other identity is older doesn’t mean it knows how to handle superpowers any better so it doesn’t help the learning curve any.
The writing and characterization of Chris as Captain Kid is fantastic. I like that he’ll reference comic books and Kirby and then at the same time wonder how real world implications of having powers doesn’t make one crazy then switching thoughts to the country’s infrastructure and how it’s crumbling apart and why he’s needed to save motorists caught in a manmade monsoon. It’s this that sets these gentlemen apart from not only their contemporaries but those so-called young-guns as well. It’s taking time to really get to know your character and flesh him out for the reader in ways that’s easily relatable to and incredibly realistic. Well as realistic as it can be when a middle aged guy turns into a teenage superhero.
Wilfredo has a great eye for storytelling. His use of pages and panels to control the flow, the use of angles and perspective and the use of backgrounds, which i’d like to see more of, and the attention to detail he uses is nice to see. Plus the age regression in our hero and the fact that his costume is pretty nicely done show a great eye as well.
Helea’s introduction, the way he’s learning to use his powers and the sheer fact that it seems that time is a factor, just not in a typical way, set this apart. I look forward to seeing where this is going to go next and the last pages well more so than expected.
Once again Aftershock is giving creators a chance to do something different and unique and tell a story they want to the way they want to. Yes in this day and age it has some familiar rings to it but trust me it’s its own separate entity. Great characters, characterization and story development alongside some very nice interiors and you’ve got another type of superhero story that could make an impact.