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Talent #1-3
Posted 23 October 2006
Writer: Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski
Artist: Paul Azaceta
Letters: Marshall Dillon
Colors: Ron Riley
Publisher: Boom! Studios
4.50 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Matt Yocum
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Here’s a feeling I don’t get very often: when I put
down an issue of a comic and the first thing I’m thinking is,
“how much longer until the next issue comes out?”
That’s exactly how I felt reading the first three issues of
Boom! Studios’ Talent.
Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski have crafted a tale
that’s intriguing, exciting, and sometimes a little horrific.
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First, the set-up. A government agent downed Flight 654, however
that upset the Balance. Lives were lost that should not have been
lost, and one man, Nicholas Dane, receives the talents, abilities, and
memories of the remaining passengers. He’s filled with an
incredible urge, and a mysterious guide, to help him clear up the
unfinished business of the passengers’ lives as well as avenge
their murders. Thanks to a little help from the dialogue of
Dane’s guide, I’ve now summed up in a few sentences what
is proving a far more complicated book: deep conspiracies
within the government and the Vatican, hit men trying to uncover the
mysterious survival of Nicholas Dane, mobsters, boxers, cardinals and
ordinary joes all mixing together in a fine mess.
Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski have crafted a tale
that’s intriguing, exciting, and sometimes a little horrific
(for example, the obvious glee hitman and hitwoman Payne and Abel
receive from their jobs). Golden and Sniegoski pull out a blender and
throw in action, conspiracy, and the supernatural, mixing them into a
fine story that leaves me hoping this goes on for a long time, all the
while wanting to know how it turns out. That’s the hallmark of
a truly great comic.
The art by Paul Azaceta reminds me of David Mazzucchelli on his
Batman: Year One turn. He uses an economy of linework that
captures the emotions of each character perfectly. The panel
transitions are terrific, and he helps keep the readers on track with
what could be confusing scene shifts. I also like the way Azaceta
shifts point of view from time to time, giving the reader a new take
in a given setting.
In some ways, I would compare this book to television’s hit
series Lost. There are the obvious comparisons in that similar
to the opening of Lost, a plane is downed. There are also
supernatural elements laced throughout the story. And like
Lost, this comic weaves multiple story lines, introduces
characters’ backgrounds throughout, and ultimately left me
wanting more each issue.
Talent proves a great comic from what is turning out to be a
great company in Boom! Studios. I hope the title catches on and stays
around long enough for me to find out what happens next.
Comments about my comments? Feel free to email me at
myocum@comiccritique.com.
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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