Valiant Entertainment 2018
Written by Vita Ayala
Illustrated by Raul Allen, Patricia Martin & Scott Koblish
Lettered by Saida Temofonte
Now, Livewire is Public Enemy Number One and everyone has her in their sights. One dangerous group of mercenaries managed to get the jump on her and disabled her superpowers by implanting a device in her brain. But there’s more to Livewire than just her powers. After a brutal and bloody brawl, Amanda escaped, but she’s far from safe as an even greater threat looms on the horizon…
So reading this is something of a revelation for me. What Vita is doing here is simply amazing in it’s size and scope which as we see here is even wider and larger than we could have imagined. It isn’t just the implications of her actions that we’re talking about here, though I do want to touch upon that for a few moments, there is a much larger backlash to her actions then we’ve ever seen before. Speaking of lets talk about this now, shall we?
This may be the first time a government has taken such direct action against a so-called superhero. Think about it if say Superman went crazy then came to his senses he’d say sorry they’d be like okay and let his own police him in the future, Batman for instance. Well the community here they aren’t policing anyone really and so as Public Enemy #1 she’s fair game for every agency and mercenary around. This is what makes this stand out from the crowd, not even villains who headline their own series have this much going against them. This kind of innovation and freshness is something Vita is tackling head on without any reservations, at least that I can see. This is among the reasons why this series excites the hell out of me and Vita’s vision comes to life extremely well.
Plus this issue knocked me on my tuchus and it wasn’t because of any action. No this is the power of characterisation and how it can be used to not only further the story but make the entire issue into a pivotal moment. A moment that gives the character that epiphany, that Aha moment, that can make them stronger or shatter them into a million pieces. Now Pan is a great power and Vita does what every fanboy and fangirl has dreamed of, taking that person who’s told their power doesn’t cut it and make them a force to be reckoned with. While we don’t know how this will all end, yet, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to see more of him as either a rival or ally.
Oh sweet mother of Pearl Bailey Irish Cream Liqueur Lacquered Nail Polish! The linework here is gorgeous and how something so thin, so delicate can be so powerful is a great gift to have. I am so utterly impressed with the level of work all around that I ma seeing here. The faces and facial expressions are amazing in how they manage to coax so much feeling and emotion into the reader. The attention to detail is stupendous and that includes the colour work here as well. The way light sources cast shadows and how there is colour gradation in items like wet clothing push the envelope and show us what could and should be everywhere. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows of a stellar eye for storytelling. The way that backgrounds are utilised enhance moments and bring a wonderful size and scope to the book. Though I will say this much, I do believe that more panels should contain backgrounds.
Valiant has taken a character in Livewire and made her into someone to be reckoned with whether she wanted that or not. Actions and consequences yeah that’s here and so is the potential for self-growth and that formation of a family to spin-off into the Secret Weapons title that we so want to see. I love that this character was created and little with her until this latest iteration and I am hoping that this powerful woman will continue to be one of today’s pre-eminent roles models.