National Comics : Eternity #1

Meet Christopher Freeman, a medical examiner working at the police morgue. Doing autopsies on newly arrived stiffs to find out the cause of death is what Chris does, but having a special gift gives him an advantage like no other. After his experience with his own death and coming back to life, Chris can pluck the souls out of the recently murdered and help them to unravel the mysteries of their own demise. But with new prospects comes other players and Mr. Keeper is just the man to give Chris some stiff (no pun intended) competition.

The Pros

DC’s new series begins with a bang, as Kid Eternity return s with a fresh perspective and a new direction. Originally a Vertigo character, KE is thrown in the standard DC universe as a young man struggling with life’s daily problems and a special ability he tries to put to good use. The idea behind National Comics is to have a different hero or individual for every issue with a different writer & artist to boot.

Writer Jeff Lemire (Lost Dogs, Animal Man, Essex County) gives a terrific debut for this character I’m barely familiar with. In one single issue, Lemire gives the reader an origin story filled with mystery, introduces supporting characters & has one hell of a cliff hanger ending. Penciller Cully Hamner (Red, Black Lightning Year One) does a fine job with the illustrations with a creepy visual of purgatory.

The Cons

The purpose of Chris’ red glasses is never truly explained, but that’s a minor complaint and doesn’t really reflect how much I enjoyed this comic.

The Outcome

This was a total surprise, I didn’t expect to be this much entertained by one issue. I only hope to see more of it in the near future. From DC Comics.

Rating: ****