Dark Circle Comics 2017
On Sale December 06th 2017
Written by Ian Flynn
Illustrated by Kelsey Shannon
Coloured by Matt Herms
Lettered by Jack Morelli
The Crusaders are the latest incarnation of a legendary team of superheroes. They’re not just heroes, but worldwide celebrities. They are managed by a government agency — the M.L.J. — and headed by former hero Joe Higgins (a.k.a. the original Shield). The team is a mix of veteran and new heroes sworn to be peacekeepers for the world. But are they up for the task? The threat of evil lurks around every corner and comes in many forms. There are the typical street criminals or vandals, but there are also those who take danger to a whole different level...
It’s nice to see that Archie is committed to keeping their properties alive and constantly moving forward in an attempt to keep them relevant and interesting. Next month this title debuts on stands and I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to dan advance review. We’ve seen new takes on some classic characters and after the last team was shaken up as they were it’s time for a new team to come together. Under the leadership of the Shield, Victoria Adams the original Shield, we’ll see some familiar and new faces being brought together to protect the nation and the world. That is if they can survive each other.
Ian does a really nice job here bringing us this new team. Starting off in the middle of a fight and working our way from there is actually one of the smartest moves I’ve seen. His story structure is fantastic and not only gives the reader a chance to see who’s on the team but also a glimpse at what could potentially be a problem with them as well. So once he establishes the players it’s time to get some more information on how all this came to be. There’s a really great ebb and flow to what we are seeing here and it gives me hope for what the series is going to be like.
Kelsey’s interiors here are a great blend of what we expect from both Archie and superhero comics. There is some nice attention to detail in much of what we see and yet it somehow still maintains that whole cartoon-esque sensibility. The use of page layouts here with their angles and perspective are handled very well and show a nice eye for storytelling. There is a decided lack of backgrounds in play here and while I usually abhor that it seems in this world, with this style it all kind of makes sense.
So while the good guys are trying to figure out the new status quo and how to work with one another and within the system we’re introduced to what may be their greatest and possibly ongoing threat.
With some very interesting characterisation and a strong storyline and development I’m looking forward to The Dark Circle’s latest foray into the superhero genre. I appreciate that this picks up where things left off not only with the last run of the New Crusaders but with The Shield as well. This isn’t going to be dark like the Black Hood so there’s no chance we’ll be seeing him here and I’m okay with that. Instead it seems like this series is going to blend the seriousness we see today with the fun of the past and attempt to bridge the angst and humour versions into one.
Make sure you contact your shoppe or subscription service and tell them you want this book. It’ll definitely make you smile.