FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1

Review by: keith7198

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Avg Rating: 4.0
 
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Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI
Cover by J.G. JONES

Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99

One of the fun things about DC’s New 52 relaunch is that they’ve tried to put out more than just traditional superhero titles. “Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.” is an obvious example. The issue starts with an incident in the small town of Bone Lake, Washington. It turns out the city is being attacked by an army of monsters so S.H.A.D.E. teams Frankenstein up with The Creature Commandos to handle the situation and save as many residents as possible. See, I told you it wasn’t a traditional superhero title.

Jeff Lemire writes the story and it’s pretty entertaining. He uses much of the first half of the book to introduce the characters while also sizing up the monster threat. It’s a slick and intelligent way of giving an introduction and it never feels formulaic. Lemire gives us a well developed world, some pretty fun dialogue, and just the right amount of action. The only place I felt the story fell short was at the end. The buildup was well done but the payoff was a little anti-climactic. It doesn’t kill the story but it seems that the ending could have packed a little more punch. Also, other than Frankenstein there aren’t many other characters that I feel drawn to. They serve their purposes in the greater story but they aren’t characters I feel the need to invest in.

The bigger problem with the book is Alberto Ponticelli’s art. He uses a art style that’s gritty but sometimes sketchy and that causes some problems particularly with the characters. Much of the time they look decent but there are some facial inconsistencies throughout the book. Also Ponticelli’s art really falls short on the creatures. His monsters were very unimpressive, unimaginative, and uninteresting. They looked flat and generic and there was nothing cool or frightening about them. Many may like Ponticello’s work but I would have liked a much different style for this title.

This was an entertaining issue but the jury is still out as to whether or not I’m sticking with it. It’s a well constructed story that may not wow you with it’s ending but offers a fun way to introduce it’s characters. The bigger letdown is the art which I felt took away from the feel and intended tone of the story. This isn’t a terrible issue. But it’s also not one that will stick with me for a while.

Story: 3 - Good
Art: 2 - Average

Comments

  1. Gave the art a “2”

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