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Captain Gravity #6
"The Power of the Vril"
Review posted: 31 Oct 2005
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Sal Velluto
Ink: Bob Almond
Publisher: Penny-Farthing Press
5.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by John L. Daniels Jr.
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Penny-Farthing Press has impressed me with the presentation and
sadly the final chapter in the Captain
Gravity and the Power of the Vril miniseries.
This is one of the best-written and most stylishly-drawn comics
about an African-American superhero I’ve seen in quite some time.
Captain Gravity battles Jaeger the evil sorcerer of the Third Reich to
prevent him from using the power of the Vril to destroy the allies.
The
stunning visual panels of battles against the sorcerer’s animal
men (the Guardians of the Thule), along with flying sequences with
Captain Gravity in battle were a delight.
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Captain Gravity defeats the sorcerer and saves Chase Dubois from his
evil clutches. The time line shifts from 1944 to October 22, 1962 and
the Cuban missile crisis. The reader learns that the mystic power of
the Vril is secretly shared by the Soviet Union and the United States.
The last spread page shows a new costumed hero ready to interject in
the cold war crisis — that hero is of course Captain Gravity.
Penny-Farthing press took the initiative to revise and print a
comic book title that was last published in the late 1990s. I must say
I am so glad they did. Many readers waited patiently — or not
so patiently — for the issues of this mini to ship.
Nonetheless, the outcome was always the same, the glorious splendor of
a great comic book filled with action, romance, and espionage.
Bob Almond and Sal Velluto, also ethnic creators, captured all the
details of World War II and the late 1930s and early 1940s. The
stunning visual panels of battles against the sorcerer’s animal
men (the Guardians of the Thule), along with flying sequences with
Captain Gravity in battle were a delight. The spread pages are
intricately drawn. The movie poster ads in the back of the book
showing Captain Gravity serials jump-start the reader’s
imagination: what if there were a real movie production of this
character?
The characters were believable and the historic time line to the
story was informative and nurturing to enthusiasts of serials and
pulps of the 1930s and 1940s. The characters’ expressions were
flawless and distinctive with great dialogue. The most memorable and
heartwarming moment comes in issue #6 when Captain Gravity reassures
an African-American navy janitor that the color of his skin should not
detour him from his goals, as he reveals to the Navy janitor that a
hero of the people is also African-American.
Why is Captain Gravity the best comic book I have ever read? I
have been collecting comic books for thirty years. I have read some
good titles, and some bad. I have been exposed to many types of
publications from DC to Marvel to Charlton to Golden Key comics. When
I was reading comics in the seventies Marvel introduced characters
like Luke Cage and The Falcon while DC comics introduced Black
Lighting, Tyroc (from the Legion of Super-Heroes) and Mal (from the
Teen Titans). I was ecstatic to read heroes from my ethnic
background. I was proud to see that people of color can also have
super powers to help save the world from villains, mutated monsters,
and galactic beings. Captain Gravity brings back those
memories of a young kid excited about life and society. This series is
not just about fighting bad people, it’s also about the love of a
friend, the love of your fellow man, and the love of your country.
Thank you Penny-Farthing Press for making me feel good about life
again.
—CCdC— Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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