Review - Vitruvian Underground (Issue 1)

I picked up a digital copy of issue # 1 of Vitruvian Underground a number of months back. It was written and colored by Ramon Villalobos, and it was pencilled, inked, and lettered by Craig Cermak.

They say that you should not judge a book by its cover. I think that axiom is applicable with force, in the instance of this particular comic book. The interior artwork and coloring are far superior to the front cover. Go figure.

The biggest strength of this comic book title is its star character, Kid Vinci. He's a great character, very colorful, and the dialogue within issue # 1 certainly helps to bring Kid Vinci's personality front and center in this title.

The supporting cast of characters, however, do not even remotely approach the level of interest that Kid Vinci achieves with the reader. That's not to say that none of them work. Rather, they are all of secondary interest to Kid Vinci.

Costume-wise, this comic book is unlikely to win any awards, anytime soon. But, the characters do connect with one another, for the most part, and because they do, I could see this team succeeding over an extended run for this title.

I wasn't particularly impressed with the ending of issue # 1. But, the "bad guys" weren't really up to the task of carrying their end of the story. So, the tale, itself, is lacking, even though the chemistry between the characters that comprise the team works.

This comic book features some really nice instances of artwork, and it's a damned crying shame that readers weren't treated to more of the White Dwarf Agents of S.N.O.W..

Vitruvian Underground issue # 1 did a very good job of injecting media coverage into the pages of a comic book. The issue succeeded in its attempt to capture the "aliens" landing on Earth. Both the cell phone panel and the video camera view screens imbued the issue with a solid modern feel.

The "worms" looked good and worked well, but then, the book sort of went downhill. The dialogue presented on the last page of issue # 1 was a nice finale, but the actual story was already over, by then.

 Kid Vinci is a strong starring character. How unfortunate it is, then, that they chose to saddle him with various "blue things." These "devices," if I may call them that, are aesthetically problematic. They detract from the art. What a pity that this particular approach was used. I suspect that they represent 4th Dimensional technology. Be that as it may, it is ironic that Kid Vinci's 4th Dimensional nature is captured much better through the text that constitutes his dialogue, even as the artistic representation of this very same concept falls flat on its proverbial face. Good concept - bad implementation.

All things considered, would I recommend issue # 1 of Vitruvian Underground to others? Certainly. Kid Vinci, alone, is worth the price of admission.I would also be strongly inclined to buy issue # 2, should such a follow-up issue actually materialize at some point down the road.

To learn more about Vitruvian Underground, follow the link here.

To buy issue # 1 of Vitruvian Underground, click here, instead.