Review: Extraordinary #1
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher: Titan Comics
Writer: V.E. Schwab
Artist: Enid Balam  Â
Colorist: Jordi Escuin Llorach
Letterer: Rob Steen
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
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Summary
Extraordinary #1Â – YT bestselling author of Addie LaRue, V. E. Schwab returns for a new anti-villain story!
Expands deeper into the world of Schwab’s critically acclaimed VILLAINS novels!
After surviving a deadly crash, Charlotte Tills becomes “ExtraOrdinary”, gaining the ability to foresee a person’s death.
But when she looks into her own future, only the face of notorious EO killer Eli Ever stares back!
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Positives
Eli, Victor and Angie…three college students after that elusive thesis that will change their world. Boy does it ever change. From research into “Fight or Flight” to elements that are directly borrowed from the Kevin Bacon film “Flatliners”, we get a flashback/flashforward story that is not terribly complicated.
However, it apparently is a needed back story that V.E. Schwab feels must be told in our attempt to connect with the eventual heroine of our story – Charlotte Tills.
Schwabb apparently has a bit of medical science under her belt as she hits the right buttons.Â
I cannot imagine being as focused as Eli in wanting to “die” under the watch of my fellow student Victor and to be brought back to see if I obtain powers. Too rich a gamble for me. However, Victor ups the ante a bit and goes a bit Dr. Frankenstein with his own experiment on himself. Eli now cannot die.Â
Victor seems to have super human strength and Angie…well, you have to read the book to see what happens with her. Eli is somehow tilted to where he wants to be an avenging angel in killing people that either should be dead or were raised from the dead. Not sure where that plot point failed, but here we are!  Â
Positives 2.0
The art in this book is sleek and colorful. Enid Balam, Jordi Escuin Llorach, and Rob Steen were in complete concert on this book as the art compliments the rhythm of the story!
Negatives
I’m too intrigued at this point to point out anything as it is a first issue based on prior characters by the author.Â
The fact that the primary character of the book is not featured until the last frame of this comic is quite intriguing and an interesting way to get the story moving. By providing the so called “villain” prior to the “hero” was quite the roll of the dice and it works!
Verdict
Extraordinary #1 opened a bit of a portal to the old Flatliner movie. It is intriguing that as we glimpse into the story, a near death if not death experience can provide you some sense of powers. Too scary to think about, but I am glad that Schwab does. It makes for a really cool intro to what is going to be a great ‘cat and mouse” chase! Buy this book!
