[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writers: John Romita Jr., Dan Abnett
Artists: Sandra Hope, Dean White, John Romita Jr.
Summary
Honor Guest is living the life she wants, at least until her old life returns and wants her back.
Positives
As far as first issues go, this one was actually pretty good, and what you would expect a first issue of a brand new character should be.
Right from the beginning, we get insight into Honor’s world. A mother and wife in a suburban home with a pretty ordinary life. Romita Jr. and Abnett do a great job though of breaking that life apart, and showing us who she really is, or rather, who she was. The story has a great flow to it that keeps you captivated and interested in the characters, which is not always easy to do with new characters. The fact the story takes place in the suburbs though makes it relatable.
The first issue doesn’t give to much away either, which I really appreciated. We’re still left with a lot of questions by the end of the issue. Most notably about Honor herself. I’m still not even completely convinced of her powers yet, or even if she has special abilities, but I’m sure will learn a lot more in coming issues.
The main antagonist is still a question mark as well. We only see him for a few pages, and still don’t really know his motives, only that he really doesn’t like Talia Al Ghul.
Romita Jr. and Abnett’s storytelling is very interesting. Throughout the issue we constantly get thought bubbles of what Honor is thinking, even while she’s speaking to another character. Now granted we do normally see this in comics (usually in the beginning of an issue), however, their style of storytelling seemed to have a lot more then usual and spanned a good part of the book. For an established character, this wouldn’t be necessary, but seeing how this is a brand new character we don’t know much about, it really helped to identify her style, abilities, and personality.
Negatives
The only real negative I noticed about this issue was the artwork. Although some panels were good and colorful, it found it mostly rough, with some figures being disproportional, and not very good facial expressions and features. As a first issue, many comic fans would pick this up to see what’s it all about, but after seeing the art, I’m not sure how many will come back for issue #2.
Verdict
Despite the lackluster artwork, the story was solid and worth a read. I’m not sure where the writers will take this character in upcoming issues, but isn’t that the best part about having brand new original characters?
