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Black Summer #1

By Jason Mott
October 24, 2007 - 12:58

The executive branch of the U.S. government is dead, brutally ushered off into the arms of death by one of its very own pay-rolled superheroes. In the aftermath of it all, Tom Noir, the one-legged, alcoholic, former teammate of the man who killed the president and a whole host of cabinet members, has been targeted as a possible collaborator in the murder plot and has to blow the dust off of his old superpowers just to stay alive. As the rest of Tom’s former save - the - world - compadres are pulled out of retirement and into the crosshairs of the U.S. government, plenty of questions are raised about the role of heroes (and everyday individuals) and just how far judgments about “doing the right thing” can and should be taken.

Veteran writer Warren Ellis is using this series to explore some very complex, sophisticated themes and it’s working wonderfully so far. Now, many a reader has decided to compare this series to the ever-legendary Watchmen series, but, personally, I feel that this is a disservice to Ellis and his vision. Yes, the heroes here are treated with a level of fantastic realism comparable with Watchmen, but that doesn’t mean that Ellis and Black Summer should just be written off as a cheap knock off. The fact is Ellis’s theme of civic responsibility in the face of an arguably corrupt government is very, very different from Alan Moore’s themes of “complicated heroism.” Ellis is making his own particular statement with this well-written, crisp series and it should never be confined to the shadow of Watchmen.

On pencils, Juan Jose Ryp’s highly active and ultra-detailed styling is a refreshing change from so many of the pared down, minimalist styles of so many artists these days. It feels good to see characters functioning within highly-detailed, fully-realized environments. Personally, I’m more than a little tired of characters hanging out in psychedelic-colored voids of empty space. With Ryp’s work, there’s lushness on the page that reflects plenty of time, effort and craftsmanship. Hopefully a few other artists will take a page from Ryp’s book and really give readers a show that’s worth their money and, more importantly, their time.

Overall: 4 out of 5.  Well-written and well-drawn.

Last Updated: January 17, 2025 - 08:20