Filed under: Indie Comics | Tags: A Comic A Day In May, Eponymous, LSCC 2014, Martin Simmonds, Mike Garley, Mike Stock
Secret government plots & super-soldiers combine in Eponymous from writer Mike Garley, artist Martin Simmonds & letterer Mike Stock and that front cover alone was enough to pique my interest.
Opening with government agents interviewing a little girl (Lucy) who’s visions/dreams are really premonitions of the disasters that have been hitting the world. A trait that the government are all to keen to take advantage of and manipulate for their own gain (that’ll be the non-fiction part in this issue) and first on their list is to capture the Eponymous threat. Things seem to change when we see Lucy attempt a jump from the roof of a 10-story building and thankfully she’s saved by our central character Casey. It’s here that we learn that Casey is the “Eponymous threat” the government are after and this becomes a superhero tale that’s flipped on it’s head.
Instead of a world where super-powered beings are loved for the hope and potential they bring…..they’re treated with an air of fear and mistrust and this becomes a much deeper tale of terrorists and survival with Casey’s presence as a savior appearing to give the government the focus they’ve been after…..or at least a target. Casey is a fairly strong central character too as she fights like a well-trained assassin and she reminds me of Bendis’ Scarlet as she confronts the media and spells out the truth about the government before heading straight into defuse a terrorist threat. A mix of super-soldier, activist and mother-figure that gives the story a real momentum and while the pacing doesn’t necessarily flow steadily……the moments of action and slower, talky scenes are all vital elements to the story.
Later in the title we get a history lesson that tells the story of super-beings before, during and after the war and these additional elements seem flesh out the back story for us that will surely be built on further in future releases. At the moment they feel like loose ends but the links between them and the intrigue they develop for me, the reader, help keep me hooked on this title. We close this issue one out with Lucy & Casey wandering some of the ruined buildings in an area where Casey grew up and a childhood game of leaving symbols as messages leads us to share in Casey’s discovery that her sister is still alive……another new element to the mix that gives us more questions.
Great characters and although the pacing is mixed, it somehow fits the story giving a multi-layered story that’ll come good in future issues I’m sure. Backed up by some great artwork from Simmonds that’s ultra-realistic and moody (although slightly too dark in places) it helps build the intrigue and keep the story firmly rooted in a possible reality. The dreaded “to be continued” seems to mock me in this release just as much as any other but I’m keeping tabs on when the next release will be.
You can catch-up on this title over at the following links:
7/10
G-Man
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