Stealth #1
Writer: Mike Costa
Artist: Nate Bellegarde
Colours: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Sal Cipriano
I enjoyed this first issue of Stealth, I like the premise, it’s an interesting concept to be explored and looks like it won’t shy away from exploring mental health issues.
It’s technically a follow up to a one shot by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silverstri released back in 2010, but no prior knowledge is needed to enjoy this. I believe it’s more a spiritual successor than anything else.
Anyway onto the issue itself. It follows a superhero named Stealth who protects the streets of Detroit. Most of this first issue is introducing us to Stealths world, and focuses on Tony Barber, who’s one of the two main characters going forward. Tony is a journalist who feels incredibly passionately about his hometown of Detroit. The other main character is Tony’s dad, Daniel, who appears to be suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s.
If it feels like I’m skirting around a lot of the plot of this first issue know it’s because I’m wary of going into spoilers. This first issue works best if you don’t know anything going into it. Speaking of spoilers I would avoid the official solicitation for this issue, personally I think the marketing team messed up big time with this, as it gives away the issues big twist.
The mental health aspect appears to be being handled well, and a real focus of the story going forward. The father son dynamic also proves to be interesting. These are both interesting enough concepts on their own but couple that with a superhero story as well promises a unique and interesting take on both these issues and the typical superhero story.
I like the concepts which this series promises to explore in more detail. By not shying away from mental health problems, instead making them the focus for this story, it’s a brave move and one which should be applauded. Nate Bellegarde deserves recognition for the way he’s tackling these sensitive issues. Far too often it’s easy to avoid because of the stigma surrounding mental health but these are issues which should be explored and discussed. This is a comic that is sure to make fans discuss what happens and wait excitedly for the next issue.
Nate Bellegarde’s art is great. It brings Detroit to life. The characters are all well designed. Costa makes use of Bellegarde’s skill to tell the story through the visuals rather than words. There are a number of panels with no words which progress the story much better than half a dozen sentences would. And that’s before we even get onto Stealth. He looks a bit like a cross between Black Panther and Iron Man. Fans of superhero’s will be invested in Stealth just from his look.
Just as important as Bellegarde’s art is Tamra Bonvillain’s colours. She brings the art to life and is instrumental in setting the scene.
This is a very promising start to a new series. I really hope the rest of the series lives up to expectations, and if they do this could very well be called a classic several years down the line. Not only tackling sensitive issues but making them the focus of the story is a brilliant move. I’m excited to see what comes next. Costa works really well with Bellegarde and Bonvillain to tell an exciting and fresh superhero story.
Artist: Nate Bellegarde
Colours: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Sal Cipriano
I enjoyed this first issue of Stealth, I like the premise, it’s an interesting concept to be explored and looks like it won’t shy away from exploring mental health issues.
It’s technically a follow up to a one shot by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silverstri released back in 2010, but no prior knowledge is needed to enjoy this. I believe it’s more a spiritual successor than anything else.
Anyway onto the issue itself. It follows a superhero named Stealth who protects the streets of Detroit. Most of this first issue is introducing us to Stealths world, and focuses on Tony Barber, who’s one of the two main characters going forward. Tony is a journalist who feels incredibly passionately about his hometown of Detroit. The other main character is Tony’s dad, Daniel, who appears to be suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s.
If it feels like I’m skirting around a lot of the plot of this first issue know it’s because I’m wary of going into spoilers. This first issue works best if you don’t know anything going into it. Speaking of spoilers I would avoid the official solicitation for this issue, personally I think the marketing team messed up big time with this, as it gives away the issues big twist.
The mental health aspect appears to be being handled well, and a real focus of the story going forward. The father son dynamic also proves to be interesting. These are both interesting enough concepts on their own but couple that with a superhero story as well promises a unique and interesting take on both these issues and the typical superhero story.
I like the concepts which this series promises to explore in more detail. By not shying away from mental health problems, instead making them the focus for this story, it’s a brave move and one which should be applauded. Nate Bellegarde deserves recognition for the way he’s tackling these sensitive issues. Far too often it’s easy to avoid because of the stigma surrounding mental health but these are issues which should be explored and discussed. This is a comic that is sure to make fans discuss what happens and wait excitedly for the next issue.
Nate Bellegarde’s art is great. It brings Detroit to life. The characters are all well designed. Costa makes use of Bellegarde’s skill to tell the story through the visuals rather than words. There are a number of panels with no words which progress the story much better than half a dozen sentences would. And that’s before we even get onto Stealth. He looks a bit like a cross between Black Panther and Iron Man. Fans of superhero’s will be invested in Stealth just from his look.
Just as important as Bellegarde’s art is Tamra Bonvillain’s colours. She brings the art to life and is instrumental in setting the scene.
This is a very promising start to a new series. I really hope the rest of the series lives up to expectations, and if they do this could very well be called a classic several years down the line. Not only tackling sensitive issues but making them the focus of the story is a brilliant move. I’m excited to see what comes next. Costa works really well with Bellegarde and Bonvillain to tell an exciting and fresh superhero story.
A Look Inside
