Titan Comics 2015
Written by Noel Clarke
Illustrated by J. Cassara
Coloured by Luis Guerrero
Lettered by Rob Steen
Well now the kids have finally decided to work as a team, they’ve found the uniforms made for them and after a few modifications are about to go meet their foes head on for a change. Before that however they need to know how Edward’s suits work for each individual. I want to know how Edward managed to get this fabric created for them! So far Noel has been doing an incredible job with the writing, characterization and story pacing and now i’d love to see him do some science stuff for us.
I do like that they are beginning to work as a team and with all the growing pains that come with that. Plus I was surprised by the plot development thrown into the mix by Noel. With each issue that comes out the book definitely gets stronger and stronger and I’m loving that aspect of it. Noel’s writing chops are no joke he’s got some real talent here. The characterization is spot on, easy to understand and you know a lot about the individuals from how they speak. The story progresses nicely with different plot points introduced but never forgotten they weave in and out until the need to spotlight it.
We’ve not seen how the bad guys operate just that they’ve been at this longer and have possibly a greater reach and more resources. This issue is our first real look at what they’ve managed to accomplish so far and it makes me want to see more of how they got to that point. Just how many kids, people and families have they uprooted and destroyed along the way. Plus from what we see of them here there’s a treasure trove of story waiting to be unveiled.
Cassara and Luis’ work on bringing to this life is impressive. I love the attention to detail and they’ve definitely developed a style together that really stands out. It’s powerful, emotional-or lack thereof-and conveys everything you possibly need to get into the story even further. Cassara’s eye for pages and panel usage is sharp as can be. The way the story flows is wonderful. I enjoy and appreciate that we get as much background work as there is since it just adds to heighten already what’s happening.
So far this has been all about development and getting us familiar with this world. It’s been fun, interesting and a joy to see but with this issue I feel like i’ve been wading in the shallow end and suddenly i’m in the deepest part of the pool. It’s a fantastic transition really gets things moving in a way you don’t expect. Not only is the story changing for us but the characters and with we learn here you’ve got to wonder how things could ever be the same again, until you realize they haven’t learned half the truths you have.
Smartly written and powerfully illustrated The Troop is the next generation of family style super-hero teams.