TRUE BELIEVERS #1 (OF 5)
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Size: pages
Price: 2.99
To be honest, I don’t know what made me pick up this comic. I’d never heard of the writer (Cary Bates) or the artist (Paul Gulacy), and I had no idea what it was even about. Maybe I’d been reading too many old Marvel letter columns and got sucked in by that comforting catchphrase in the title. Maybe I was struck by the cover, and my wonderment at Marvel’s continued ability to sell comics with naked women front and center as long as said women are covered in a silvery coating. Or maybe I just wanted to check out something new and different, set in a universe I already know and love. Whatever the reason, when I saw this issue lying on the shelf, left over from last week, I decided to give it a try – and I’m very glad I did.
First of all, this is a book that should be required reading for the iFanboy staff. Not because it’s good (though it certainly is), but because it’s about a group of superpowered vigilante podcasters. But unlike Ron, Conor, and Josh, these podcasters don’t discuss the week’s comics; instead, they investigate and expose the wrongdoings of the Marvel U’s elite, from industrialists and politicians to the superheroes themselves.
I’ve always been a fan of comics that detail how everyday things from the real world would operate in a world of superheroes and villains. I love Alias and X-Factor for their exploration of superhuman private investigation and the private lives of the average, everyday superhumans who aren’t out fighting or committing crime. I loved Dan Slott’s She-Hulk for its brilliant, incisive, and hilarious exploration of a superhuman law firm. And now, I can add True Believers to that list, for doing the same thing with superhumans and the new media. After all, why should media interest in superheroes in the Marvel Universe stop at the Daily Bugle, in a time when real life blogs and podcasts are providing some of the most interesting and daring news stories?
What this comic does is bring that aspect of the real world to the Marvel Universe, while telling a story that’s very, very firmly entrenched in the minutiae of that universe. From its use of S.H.I.E.L.D. and MGH to its throwaway in-joke reference to the “Crusty Bunker” to the surprising last page, this comic proves itself to be a true Marvel comic (“Marvel porn,” as the iFanboy guys would say), while presenting a story that’s wholly original and extremely intriguing. Bates’ scripting is a little weak in places – the narration often sounds a bit too 80s, with too many exclamation points, and the original characters haven’t yet been well-defined – but for a first issue this is a very solid effort. There’s always a chance, of course, that Bates and Gulacy (whose art is clear and sharp, if relatively unremarkable) will drop the ball, but I’m definitely on board for the whole five issues.
Art: 4 - Very Good
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