As a quick background Image Comics currently stands as the 3rd largest publisher of comics. The thing that makes Image Comics special is one of their founding principles (not sure if it still is in effect, but it was in the beginning) that artists were allowed to retain the rights to the characters they developed. The reason this is so smart? The artists have more skin in the game. If you don’t retain the rights you are an artist for someone else (no offense meant to any artist reading this). This means if the character explodes or is relegated to the back shelf the artist continues to draw what they are asked. If they retain the rights to their work they are tied to the success. The character is their “child” and what happens to it has a major impact on them.
But I digress.
Let’s talk about AXCEND #1 from Image Comics by Shane Davis, Michelle Delecki, and Morry Hollowell.
I was fortunate enough to find two covers. One with what appears to be the focal point of the story, Eric, and the other with a character he “plays with” in the story (I’ll explain later) whose name is Ruin (he’s on the left). There is a third character, which may be on a cover I didn’t see, called Rayne. Then there is the character which appears to be the one who runs the virtual world in which they travel, Dog (again, I’ll explain later). You got it right...Eric...Rayne....Ruin....and Dog.
So, the premise is one that is somewhat of a takeoff from ‘Tron’. Eric, still hurting from the loss of his brother Erin (which isn’t explained in any detail in the comic, I assume we’ll know more as things play out), sits down to play the video game AXCEND (i’m not shouting this, the title is all caps). The twist here is that when the TV screen comes on so Eric can play you see Dog and he tells Eric he is one of only three chosen to beta test the online world of AXCEND. That’s when things get out of hand.
Eric is then sucked into the video game where he comes face to face with Dog, Rayne and Ruin. He also finds himself sporting a new outfit (seen in the images above). Without ruining the comic for you, let’s just say that Dog puts all three of them through the paces with Eric being the “newbie”.
The thing that I like about this storyline is the way Eric gets his powers in the game...they’re downloaded. Then, as in most fighting games, he will get more abilities and “level up” as he wins the little games that Dog puts all three of them through. Eric starts with the ability to make portals and he feels that his “beta has a core, but it’s small, it...I want to grow. I think I wanna...upgrade”. On some level it makes me wonder if a character I play with online is some kid in another part of the country. The interesting thing is that he knows what needs to happen to grow. As you will read in the comic, however, he gets hazed pretty badly by Rayne and Ruin. To the reader’s delight they show no remorse and target him mercilessly. This shows Eric as human...he doesn’t just get powers and 15 minutes later he’s saving the planet. He makes mistakes and tries hard to learn from them.
What you should know is that in Eric’s real life he is a teenager in high school with problems of his own. As a matter of fact, right before he goes home, and is sucked into AXCEND, he has a confrontation with the school bully. Well, it was a little more than a confrontation, the bully knocked him on his ass. To add insult to injury, the bully tells Eric how he knew his dead brother, Erin, since 5th grade and the difference between the two of them was that “Erin knew how to hit back”. So, Eric doesn’t exactly have a dream life outside of AXCEND.
The premise of this comic leaves the storyline open to hundreds of different directions. The reader will probably see Eric gain new powers/stronger powers as he “levels up”. My guess is that what happens in the game will condition him for real life and vice versa. I have a couple of guesses as to what’s going to happen next in his real, and virtual, life but I won’t say them for two reasons; I don’t want to spoil it for you if I’m right and I hate admitting when I’m wrong.
The flip side of the coin is that it would have been nice to see more of Eric’s escape into other video games as a coping mechanism and build his character a little. I found Dog immediately coming on the screen and telling Eric he was “chosen” was a little sudden. It made me go back and read the previous pages again to see if I missed something. The comic could have left out some of the beatings that Eric took and substituted more of his background. As it’s Eric’s “origin” it should have built up a little more. Frankly, if that’s the only issue (pun intended) then this comic may be a keeper.
Before finishing, let me add that a new title from Image is no real surprise. This company has put out fantastic titles such as Invincible, Savage Dragon, and the big one The Walking Dead. They are also releasing one that I look forward to, I Hate Fairyland. I plan to review that once it’s released. For more information on their titles go to www.imagecomics.com. You won’t be sorry that you did.
The Comic Whisperer’s Ratings:
Concept and Characters: Appraised at a 7.5 out of 10
Recommendation: Buy this issue, continue if it tickles your fancy.
I don’t see this issue going up much in value,
collect at your discretion.
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