Review - Unstoppable Origins # 1

Next up on the chopping block is Unstoppable Origins # 1, from Unstoppable Comics.

For me, this is like taking a ride back through time, because I already know that this comic book was created before the comic book that introduced me to the Unstoppable Comics universe - Unstoppable Origins # 4: The Origin of Dr. Zero.

So, as I explore and review the art, coloring, and various other aspects of this comic book, I remain cognizant of the fact that much progress has been made with titles published subsequent to this one.

That said, let's proceed by digging into Unstoppable Origins # 1.

Had this particular comic book been my initiation into the Unstoppable Comics universe, my impression of the company as a comic book publisher would likely be substantially more subdued than is actually the case.

I firmly believe that all is fair in love and war and comic book reviews. Why? Because, ultimately, reviews of comic books tend to be an exercise in subjectivity writ large.

This is a nice scene setter. Great visuals, great moment!

A lot about comic books is neither right nor wrong, but rather, simply a matter of choices considered and exercised. There are plenty of comic books that other people love, which I am not enamored with, and likewise, there are comic books that I consider to be marvelous bits of literary scrumptiousness that others would no doubt view with disdain.

Starstriker or Starneck?

Unstoppable Origins # 1 features a front cover that has striking poses and decent coloring, but for some reason, Starstriker's neck looks a bit too long. It is an anatomical quirk that my eye keeps gravitating to it, as I sit and visually soak in this cover.

Of the two characters displayed on the front cover, Interceptor is, by far and away, the more visually engaging - and visually exciting - of the two.

Two flags also adorn the front cover, the Union Jack of British fame and the flag of Puerto Rico. They inject large doses of color, and act as visual stimuli, and while they help to inform the reader of the characters' respective origins, they don't really drive the imagination and get the juices flowing.

Judging solely by the front cover art, Interceptor clearly means business, and Starstriker is more in pose mode, than a man of action.

Visual blandness.

This is where we begin to flip the page, to see what lies on yonder interior pages of this comic book.

A quick flip past a boring credits page leads the reader to Puerto Rico, and to the first real page of the first of two separate stories.

The interior art is of a middling quality. It's not bad, but neither is it particularly imaginative.

As you begin flipping pages and reading the story, certainly, some of the creatures that you encounter are imaginatively drawn. But, for my personal taste, it is too little to entertain my eye for very long. My reaction to it is subdued.

Marocael

The Story of Starstriker tells the origin of how the character got his name, which is a bit cheesy. But, in fairness, comic books and cheesiness have a long history of going hand in hand. Such humble tabloid beginnings!

The origin of Starstriker's powers is more interesting than the origin of his name, but even there, one can only work so much depth into a dozen or so pages.

And that's one of the core problems with Unstoppable Origins # 1. It is said that haste makes waste, and I find myself wondering why I wasted my time trying to learn about not just one - but two - character(s), each allocated only a dozen pages to flesh them out from the point of the reader knowing nothing about them, whatsoever, to bringing them up to snuff on who these super powered individuals are.

This is the visual real deal.

Unstoppable Origins # 1 teaches us about Starstriker's link to another individual, one named Marocael, a character that I first encountered in a brief mention in Unstoppable Origins # 4: The Origin of Dr. Zero.

Starstriker's origin has a certain generic feel to it. The cave that Marocael guarded - was it the only such cave in existence? From whence does he gain his powers? From an entity called Mother Earth. Neither the cave nor Mother Earth do much to imbue Starstriker with an origin that tempts you, as a reader, to get lost in thought about such things.

Mother Earth

In Unstoppable Origins # 4: The Origin of Dr. Zero, we were given a genuine, honest-to-God villain that has an authentic air of individuality about him. In Starstriker's origin, however, who were the demons and monsters that escaped? Who knows?! Various things collectively contribute to watering down Starstriker's significance within the Unstoppable Comics universe.

The single best thing about Unstoppable Origins # 1 is to be found in Starstriker's origin, and not in Interceptor's origin. Namely, it's that splash page/dual page panel work that is bright and colorful and full of the imagination playing out directly before the reader in visual form. Such a pity that the rest of Unstoppable Origins # 1 did not take its cue from that splash-fest of visual goodness!

Visual energy grabs the eye!

Interceptor's origin is a tad more interesting than Starstriker's origin, and better equipped for human drama. Plus, it ties the character directly to the mythos of the Lady of the Lake of Excalibur fame.

But, visually, the story pales next to what it strives for, in a literary sense. JayDee Rosario's imagination was much bigger than the artists came prepared for.

Ironically, Interceptor commanded more interest from me, when he was just a soccer player, than after he became adorned with super powers, courtesy of the shield that he carries.

A lively expression.

And that shield? What's up with that? As a geometric shape, it's fine. Yet, for detail and ornamentation, it is bland and visually boring. What a wasted opportunity that the shield turned out to be - unless there's something in store for it in a future issue. Let's hope so!

I am not a fan of how the Lady in the Lake sought Marcus Penn out. That strikes me as being out of synch with the Lady of the Lake's preexisting mystique.

Plus, the time away that Marcus took, what kind of ship was he on? A cruise ship? On a lake in England? The largest lake in England is less than six square miles in surface area. So, has the Lady of the Lake now become the Lady of the Sea?

Cruise ship or ferry?

It just struck me as odd. Something just didn't quite seem to fit. This oddity left me stuck at a chasm, one that my mind doesn't want to suspend disbelief for, that I might buy in to Interceptor's origin.

Unstoppable Origins # 1 did give me one thing that was worth mentioning - and that was a nice visual introduction for the Gravewalker. Unfortunately, JayDee Rosario's lettering for that moment did not rise to the visual grandeur of the occasion.

Now, THIS is the Gravewalker that I've been waiting to see!

But, sadly to say, Gravewalker went visually downhill from there, in Unstoppable Origins # 1. His battle with Interceptor was a rushed affair. As abruptly as he appeared, Gravewalker departed. What the Hell?!

Gravewalker doing a poor imitation of Thor.

Overall, neither the art nor the coloring chart memorable ground. This is definitely middle ground stuff, where such considerations are concerned.

Very nice special effects lettering!

The special effects lettering proved to be a mixed bag, with some of it being pretty good (notably in the Origin of Interceptor), and some of it being of the so-so variety.

The lettering of the speech bubbles was solid, and the lettering of the narrative boxes was acceptable. The lettering is actually the most consistently decent selling point of this particular comic book from the Unstoppable Comics universe.

As to the visual special effects, this issue proved to be a very underwhelming experience - one that I hope not to repeat anytime soon.

The two stories contained in this issue were drawn by two different pencilers. I think that the penciled art in the Origin of Starstriker was the more imaginative and anatomically interesting of the two, but I also feel that the penciled work in the Origin of Interceptor yielded better facial expressions and achieved a greater emotional attachment on this reader's part to the character at the center of the story's attention.

More nice lettering!

All things considered, this is not a comic book that I would encourage people to go out and buy, and particularly if you are not already familiar with the Unstoppable Comics universe, already. There's just not enough meat on the bones, to warrant anything resembling a ringing endorsement.

But, I will quantify that comment by saying that I already know, for a first-hand fact, that the level of quality increases noticeably for other Unstoppable Comics material that can readily be found in other issues from this publisher.

Visual scenes like this help to make a positive visual impact on the reader!

Find Unstoppable Origins # 1 on DriveThruComics

The Origin of Starstriker
Publisher: Unstoppable Comics
Writer: Jaydee Rosario
Penciler: Craig Shepard
Inker: Alex Rivera
Colorist: Michael Summers
Letterer: Jaydee Rosario

The Origin of Interceptor
Publisher: Unstoppable Comics
Writer: Jaydee Rosario
Penciler: Rushsaun Wilkerson
Inker: Alex Rivera
Colorist: Michael Summers
Letterer: Jaydee Rosario

Review - Interceptor # 1

Recently billed as the most successful Kickstarter that they've had at Unstoppable Comics, issue # 1 of Interceptor is the latest reading fare to make its way to me, from the realm of comicdom. Hither, now, comes my review of it!

Regardless of Interceptor # 1's billing as Unstoppable Comics most successful Kickstarter to date, make no mistake - it is not Unstoppable Comics' best comic book produced, to date.

Far from it, in fact.

However, I quantify that statement by pointing out that the issue, itself, proclaims August 2014 as its actual time of creation, even though the Kickstarter project for this issue didn't end until December 19th, 2014. Thus, there's a span of four months to account for, when weighing and assessing and comparing Interceptor # 1 to other comic books by the same company.

For example, another comic book that they published, one that I recently reviewed - namely, Unstoppable Origins # 4: The Origin of Dr. Zero - asserts September 2014 as its time of creation, even though I read and reviewed it prior to ever reading Interceptor # 1. So, unless Unstoppable Comics got the dates wrong on the inside pages of its own comic books, from a creation point of view, Interceptor issue number one strikes me as an earlier product than The Origin of Dr. Zero. As such, this helps me to reconcile what I feel are some of the shortcomings with Interceptor # 1.

Before I go into greater detail of the issue's respective strengths and weaknesses, I would preface my remarks-to-come with a simple statement that I enjoyed reading the comic book. Rest assured, by this point in time, I count myself as a true fan of Unstoppable Comics. I look forward to each of their new comic books, as they come out, and I think that, by and large, they are doing a very respectable job of publishing what I feel are quality comic book products.

That said, I have no qualms about criticizing various instances of what I feel are points of weakness in the end product that they are putting in the hands of comic book readers.

The credits page of Interceptor # 1 lists the following individuals as being responsible for the comic book that I have just read and am now reviewing. Respectively, they are:

Brandon Easton - Writer
Russ Leach - Illustrator
Michael Summers - Colorist
Letterer - JayDee Rosario
Richard Rodriguez - Editor
Max Dunbar - Variant Cover

Issue number one of Interceptor is a mixed bag, one that leaves me a bit miffed. On the one hand, it contains a select few instances of panels that are spot on the money for being top notch. On the other hand, the bulk of what we see in the panels that collectively comprise the various pages of this comic book do not even remotely rise to that level of praise worthiness.

Interceptor # 1 isn't terrible. It's really not.

But, neither is it terrific.

Instead, it is a mish-mash, a veritable hodgepodge of middle ground accomplishment.

Of the individuals listed in the credits for this comic book, the one that I, personally, think should come in for the least criticism is Max Dunbar. After all, his contribution to the effort that was this issue is confined to the variant front cover for it.

The pre-order front cover does a pretty good job of crafting a visually interesting front cover. It visually entices me, somewhat. It doesn't reach out and grab me, nor does it make me drool with excitement, when I look at it. But, for the most part, the front cover works. It serves its purpose. It gets the job done.

It's job only, though. What it does not get done are the other jobs - namely, the jobs attributed to the other individuals previously listed, above.

Max's variant cover grabs my eye, with Interceptor in running form in the foreground, as a giant Union Jack dominates the background. It's not a better, not more visually interesting, alternative to the pre-order version of the front cover for this comic book, but it does embody more visual energy than its more visually interesting counterpart.

Overall, Russ Leach manages to churn out some pretty decent artwork. This issue was not a stellar performance by Russ, to be certain, where the artwork is concerned, but I will say this for him - his work is consistently good, with much of it being well above par, compared to what you usually find scattered throughout the independent comic book industry.

None of Russ's artwork in this particular issue is terrible. None of it is really even bad. Rather, the biggest visual drain on the artwork rendered by Russ Leach for Interceptor # 1 is the coloring that accompanied it.

Not that I want to say that colorist Michael Summers was the real villain of this issue, but yeah, he was. Sorry, Michael, but it's true.

And that is where the greatest mystery of issue # 1 of Interceptor lies. The great unknown is not the magical ley lines that writer Brandon Easton has dangled before us. Rather, it's how Michael Summers' coloring can vary so greatly across the pages of a single issue.

What the Hell is going on here, guys?

This particular issue runs the coloring gamut from excellent to ho hum. In other words, it's a consistency issue.

I do not believe that Interceptor # 1 is a sterling example of Russ Leach's most imaginative drawing, as an illustrator, but from page to page from front page to last page, Russ Leach's artwork is rendered consistently better than Michael Summers' coloring.

Two of the four panels on the first page of this story are rock solid eye candy, both from a drawing perspective and from a coloring perspective. The other two are little more than an exercise in coloring mediocrity. Not terrible, but nothing to write home about, either.

The villain, Throttle, gets issue # 1 off to a good start.

Colorist Michael Summers' crowning glory for this issue is his treatment in colors of the character known as Throttle, although there are some instances of Interceptor that make Michael's work as a colorist shine.

The far more interesting, Throttle, beating up on Interceptor.

Brandon Easton's contributions as the writer for this issue are successful, all things considered. But, the story that he tells, while it gets the job done, does not make me clamor for more. It was an interesting story. It was OK. It was all right. But, it doesn't make me want to subscribe to Interceptor, compared to how I was left feeling after reading Unstoppable Origins # 4: The Origin of Dr. Zero.

There, somebody needed to slap JayDee Rosario around, and make him stay in a room until he delivered the next issue of Dr. Zero to us. Here, I'm more interested in seeing what Unstoppable Comics comes out with next, more so than I am in following the further adventures of Interceptor. Blame me, if you like, but that's what you guys at Unstoppable Comics made me feel, where Interceptor # 1 is concerned.

Interceptor carries a shield called Pridewynter.

On the editing front, Richard Rodriguez did a better job on the story part, than he did on the punctuation front. The editing needs more attention to detail, but for whatever flaws that it may have, ultimately, it's a very readable story. It's easy to follow, and it's legible.

Which leads us into the lettering, and to my main man over at Unstoppable Comics, the illustrious Jaydee Rosario.

Is this the real JayDee Rosario??

Interceptor # 1 makes use of narrative boxes, something that was noticeably absent from Unstoppable Origins # 4: The Origin of Dr. Zero. Perhaps credit for that should go to the editor, rather than the letterer, but that particular quibble aside, the lettering suffices to get the job done.

At times, it feels a slight bit cramped, relative to the size of the speech bubbles utilized in select instances, but none of it rises to the level of critical.

Far better that the lettering be legible than that it be a visual parade of horribles - as is often the case with comic books published by independent publishers across the comic book industry.

Of course, there is that opening narrative box that is quasi-pale red with yellow lettering - which was definitely not lettering's finest moment.

But, the grand bulk of the lettering is presented with black text in a white speech bubble, which yields solid visual contrast, so that the simple act of reading a comic book doesn't become a form of visual torture.

I like this!

In terms of the special effects lettering presented here, issue # 1 of Interceptor is no tour de force of visual delight. Instead, once again, readers are given the mixed bag treatment. Not horrible, but nothing that rises to a visual majesty. Rather, what we are treated to largely seems to be content to just get the job done.

This, not so much.

This issue of Interceptor continues Unstoppable Comics' apparent tradition of injecting interesting concepts into its storylines. I liked the ley lines concept a lot, and I also liked the link between Interceptor's shield and the famous sword of literary fame, Excalibur. The Axis of Neverwynter also caught my eye and my interest.

But, when all was said and done, I was more interested, as a reader, in one of the villains - Throttle - than I was in the hero, Interceptor.

The villain, Grave Walker, fell flat with me.

Grave Walker in action.

As with many things in the superhero genre, Interceptor # 1 struck me as being more worried with creating an origin story for a character, than in simply telling an interesting tale in a very interesting way.

Sure, it's interesting, because it is new to me. The characters are new, and the story, itself, is new. But, beyond that, it doesn't really win me over to the title's namesake character, nor does it persuade me

that the title, itself, is worth following, as a series.

Rather than drawing me into a compelling storyline, Interceptor # 1 leaves me feeling distant. It's not outright boring, but neither is it particularly exciting. Instead, it is interesting, but interesting with a touch of the mundane.

Nonetheless, for all of its flaws and shortcomings, Interceptor # 1 doesn't make me like Unstoppable Comics, any the less. Each issue presents its own set of challenges, and overall, my impression of the company is a very positive one. I don't have to look forward to what Interceptor is doing next, in order to still be very interested in what Unstoppable Comics is coming out with next.


Publisher: Unstoppable Comics
Brandon Easton - Writer
Russ Leach - Illustrator
Michael Summers - Colorist
Letterer - JayDee Rosario
Richard Rodriguez - Editor
Max Dunbar - Variant Cover