front page  ·  comicbook reviews  ·  interviews  ·  comics  ·  merchandise  ·  contact us  ·  newsfeed: rss xml

New Warriors #1 "Pilot" Book Released: 8 June 2005 Review posted: 20 June 2005 Writer: Zeb Wells Artist: Skottie Young Artist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu (asst. colorist) Letters: VC's Randy Gentile Publisher: Marvel Comics  3.85 out of 5 Stars Reviewed by John L. Daniels Jr.

Is it just me, or has society today gone reality TV crazy? Yes, another comic gets on the reality TV bandwagon.

The New Warriors are brought back into the mix with four of the team's original members from the 1990's title. They are Night Thrasher, Namorita, Nova, Speedball, and a new member named Microbe. Two other original members, Marvel Boy and Firestar, are not featured. The New Warriors book was a landmark event in July of 1990. The impeccable Mark Bagley completed the art with stories written by the one and only Fabian Nicieza. Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz are the originators of the title.

New Warriors #1, 1990

The New Warriors of the 90's starred several guest characters from the Marvel universe in their adventures, including The Fantastic Four and the Avengers. New Warriors alumni included Rage, the one-time Avenger that has resurfaced in a new Marvel title, Gravity #1. New Warriors was so popular that the Night Thrasher had his own spin-off title. Alas, it only lasted as long as the stories themselves. The creative team left and New Warriors floundered in obscurity.

Now Marvel's young troop is revived and revised. Instead of young fighters for urban justice, this crew is preparing for a stint on a reality series. A TV production crew is documenting the New Warriors' adventures. In this episode the plan is to have Speedball flush out Tiger Shark and Armadillo, who are hiding out. Namorita and Nova are the backup. What about Microbe? In one panel Tiger Shark confronts Microbe, “What's a blubbering idiot like you doing on a super team?” Microbe answers by proving his power. “I can talk to germs… you [Tiger Shark] haven't showered in four days, brushed your teeth in ten. You don't wash your hands after you go to the bathroom. (They like that by the way.)”

The story by Zeb Wells is well paced and the dialogue is funny and lighthearted. Namorita shines as the only team member with a tough exterior. The banter between villains Tiger Shark and Armadillo is a riot. Skootie Young's art has a television cartoon-like quality. The panels, along with the expressions of the characters, are tightly drawn and match the word bubbles with precision. If you look closely at the cover, in the background you can see how Skootie rendered some of the heroes from the Marvel Universe.

Overall this was yet another reintroduction of a team that has a hardened edge as first introduced in the 1990's. Now the team is presented as a comedic group of teens saving the day in a reality series.

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, it is geared towards young readers but it still has its moments of candor for adult readers. The start of this series is good (the first of six issues) but we'll have to see how long The New Warriors season really lasts.