Black Market #1
Written by: Frank J Barbiere
Art by: Victor Santos
Colored by: Adam Metcalf
Letters by: Ed Dukeshire
I’ve been eager to get my hands on this one, the premise is just so perfect. Bottled up powers in a needle. So many things can go wrong right? This central theme is the most pliable ever, Black Market can go in any direction and I bet it’s just going to surprise the hell out of its fans.
The story starts with a monologue while a hero named Hotspot passes out in a burning building. The sermon is cited by Ray, a down on his luck medical examiner. As he helps kidnap Hotspot, it seems.
We get a quick crash course of what’s going on. People threw on some costumes, fought crime for a while, and made an awesome impact. Eventually though, they were replaced by super powered people in costumes. These new and improved super powered folks made a huge difference fast. The publics opinion seems to be split though. Half of the folks trust them, the other half….. not so much. No one knows where they came from or who they are.
Ray’s wife has MS and he’s seen going through a bad one while trying to get home as fast as possible. After some back and forth banter, Ray’s brother rings the door bell. Then gets punched in the face. Bad blood there it seems.
Back to the present and we are greeted with puzzle pieces that tie things together very nicely. Ray and his brother Denny (plus some goon looking guy named Albert who’s wearing a stripped shirt that screams prison couture) abducted Hotspot. The cops pull Denny over due to his stunt driving. Albert and Denny make quick work of them.
Back to the past and Denny and Ray are having a quick forced conversation, then Ray is handed a bag of money. As atonement. I’m guessing Denny got him fired somehow. Ray was working for the boys in blue before.
And back to the now and Hotspot is going berserk in the ambulance. But only for a wee bit. Back in the past Denny is explaining his new work release program. Ray immediately wants no part of it. Until Denny mentions how the Super’s DNA can cure anything. That, for obvious reasons hooks him in. And that last page. That amazing last page.
This story is very well written with some smart dialogue. The art is absolutely fantastic too. About the only thing I didn’t like was the lettering. The lettering wasn't bad, it just….. I felt that it could have been better. It felt a bit rushed. Other than that I can totally recommend this.
sheek360
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