I was a big fan of Warren Ellis' rendition of these characters in the early 2000's. They were the classic 'teen team' gone horribly wrong. Each one had some sort of mental dysfunction, ranging from paranoia to megalomania to narcissism. When thrown together to be a 'super team' they fought and fucked their enemies as well as each other. Over about 20 issues they evolved to somewhat more well-rounded characters with some heart. Flash forward. Brian Wood is relaunching the franchise and he can generally be said to be a high quality writer. He brings back each of the original characters (though I don't remember the Jocelyn character) with a half-step back into their original, anti-social persona's. I don't have a problem with this change as it reconnects with the original heart of the team: internal conflict.

The team is transported back in time, or perhaps to an alternate primitive universe, where they immediately begin parceling up the respective tribes into their own little kingdoms. In the original incarnation Frostbite, Copycat and Sublime were the 'kinder, gentler' Deviants while Matthew and Bliss were cruel and manipulative - the others falling somewhere in between on that scale.  Not that any of them should be held up as role models.  In this story it seems that Frostbite and Copycat will continue to be, nominally, more genial than their counterparts while Sublime has gone insane. Matthew and Bliss both continue to demonstrate their love of brutality, death and manipulation.

The issue is light on words, which is fine as the art tells most of the story very well, but the dearth of prose makes it feel a little less 'full'.  What words are present are well turned and paced evenly.  A quality setup issue from a writing stand point  - reintroducing us to character, providing some excitement and starting the mood of the piece.The art is clean and classic. Rebekah Isaacs uses simple layouts to good effect in her story telling, providing each character with a distinct visual personality.

As a fan of these characters and this writer I certainly look forward to the next issue. Isaacs has won my recognition as well, I'll look forward to her evolution.