Andrea Speed
December 31st 2004, 06:45 PM
Reviewers: Andrea Speed andy@comixtreme.com
Adam Chapman adam.chapman@sympatico.ca
Quick Rating: Good; Quite good
A military team of superheroes face problems both political and super-powered.
<a href="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/10/helios1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/thumbnails/10/helios1.jpg"align="left" border="0"> </a>Writer: Jason Rand
Created By: Mike Penny & Jason Rand
Pencils: Gabe Pena
Inks: Chris Dreier
Colors: Transparency Digital Productions
Letters & Graphic Design: Spehar, Dreamer
Editor: Mike Penny
Cover Art: H. Young & Transparency Digital Productions
Digital Rendering: Kandora
Publisher: Dakuwaka Productions
Review:
Andrea: It’s difficult to do something new with the concept of superheroes, especially superhero teams, but creator Mike Penny and writer Jason Rand try and infuse it with fresh blood by melding it to politics in the debut issue of this series. It’s a bit awkward to start with, but once it gets going, it seems to work pretty well, and offers a few intriguing possibilities.
Adam: There are some really cool concepts explored in the debut issue of Helios, which focuses on a small squad of NeoGenics who police other Neogenics. However, although the issue features the squad, it also features their director/handler, and a senator who brings political intrigue into this tale. It's a solid debut issue, by taking two distinct and different elements, political intrigue/deceit and superpowered action, and wedding them together seamlessly so that both elements complement each other.
This issue doesn't waste it's time in the set-up, which is a good thing, it just dives right into the meat of the story. The characterization is fresh and easy to relate to, with simplistic motivations attitudes that help ground the characters. The world in which the characters live is pretty simply defined, and Rand doesn't waste his time with needless exposition, but just gets into the heart of the story, which is a welcome change of pace from most decompressed storytelling these days. The secondary plot, with the Senator trying to co-opt the prison/detention facility into a training camp for superhuman military is intriguing, and enforces an engaging characteristic look at the Director of the facility, Shiels. The dialogue doesn't feel forced at all throughout the issue, but instead feels natural and easy to grasp.
Andrea: As far as debut issues, it is a pretty smooth read, even though I thought the bad guy (and I don’t mean the escaped neogenic) was just too obvious. But a strike team of superheroes has a lot of storytelling potential, and certainly Stormwatch: Team Achilles did well enough for itself before it crashed and burned. (Which was more a behind the scenes problem than a problem with the series itself.) Not that I’m comparing Helios to SW:TA, but since I enjoyed that series, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. This really started picking up towards the end, and made we want to pick up issue two, so I think that makes it a success.
Adam: The fight scene which dominates the latter part of the issue, and the primary plot, is well written and fairly brutal, not lacking any punch, but also not lacking intelligence. The manner in which the small team takes down Hate, their powerful superpowered opponent, is a smart resolution to the fight.
Andrea: I really liked that part. The fight was much more brutal - or realistic, depending on your interpretation - than the usual superhero fight. People got hurt, and they got hurt pretty bad, which is the opposite of the hero shrugging off a laser blast or taking a shot in the shoulder like it was no big deal. The violence here is real, it has consequences, and it gives the issue a dark, intense edge that separates it from the usual superhero title.
Adam: The artwork in this series is at times cartoony, but it fits. The artwork for the fight sequence is nice stuff, solid work which is fun to read. The character designs for this series are solid, the costumes that the characters wear are seemingly generic, but fit with the semi-military slant of the series. The depictions of the powers in action are nicely illustrated, and Hate, the escaped neogenic, (depicted on the cover), is fearsomely depicted, despite the seemingly cartoony nature of the art.
Andrea: I know Pena from his work on the title Awakenings (which is a great series I highly recommend to everyone), and he has a very distinctive style that’s very crisp and easy on the eyes. If there’s a complaint I have, it’s the fact that nearly everyone has the same weird looking nose. But beyond that, it’s very good, and as Adam pointed out, the action scenes are especially well handled, and Hate is one scary looking guy. Transparency Digital does a rich, dynamic job on the coloring.
Adam: All in all, it's a solid first issue by Mike Penny and Jason Rand, and promises bigger and better things for the future. Pick the issue up, it's worth a read and is fun and enjoyable.
Andrea: Absolutely. I can’t wait to see where this one goes from here.
Ratings:
Andrea's:
Story:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Art:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Overall:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Adam's:
Story:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Art:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Overall:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Adam Chapman adam.chapman@sympatico.ca
Quick Rating: Good; Quite good
A military team of superheroes face problems both political and super-powered.
<a href="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/10/helios1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/thumbnails/10/helios1.jpg"align="left" border="0"> </a>Writer: Jason Rand
Created By: Mike Penny & Jason Rand
Pencils: Gabe Pena
Inks: Chris Dreier
Colors: Transparency Digital Productions
Letters & Graphic Design: Spehar, Dreamer
Editor: Mike Penny
Cover Art: H. Young & Transparency Digital Productions
Digital Rendering: Kandora
Publisher: Dakuwaka Productions
Review:
Andrea: It’s difficult to do something new with the concept of superheroes, especially superhero teams, but creator Mike Penny and writer Jason Rand try and infuse it with fresh blood by melding it to politics in the debut issue of this series. It’s a bit awkward to start with, but once it gets going, it seems to work pretty well, and offers a few intriguing possibilities.
Adam: There are some really cool concepts explored in the debut issue of Helios, which focuses on a small squad of NeoGenics who police other Neogenics. However, although the issue features the squad, it also features their director/handler, and a senator who brings political intrigue into this tale. It's a solid debut issue, by taking two distinct and different elements, political intrigue/deceit and superpowered action, and wedding them together seamlessly so that both elements complement each other.
This issue doesn't waste it's time in the set-up, which is a good thing, it just dives right into the meat of the story. The characterization is fresh and easy to relate to, with simplistic motivations attitudes that help ground the characters. The world in which the characters live is pretty simply defined, and Rand doesn't waste his time with needless exposition, but just gets into the heart of the story, which is a welcome change of pace from most decompressed storytelling these days. The secondary plot, with the Senator trying to co-opt the prison/detention facility into a training camp for superhuman military is intriguing, and enforces an engaging characteristic look at the Director of the facility, Shiels. The dialogue doesn't feel forced at all throughout the issue, but instead feels natural and easy to grasp.
Andrea: As far as debut issues, it is a pretty smooth read, even though I thought the bad guy (and I don’t mean the escaped neogenic) was just too obvious. But a strike team of superheroes has a lot of storytelling potential, and certainly Stormwatch: Team Achilles did well enough for itself before it crashed and burned. (Which was more a behind the scenes problem than a problem with the series itself.) Not that I’m comparing Helios to SW:TA, but since I enjoyed that series, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. This really started picking up towards the end, and made we want to pick up issue two, so I think that makes it a success.
Adam: The fight scene which dominates the latter part of the issue, and the primary plot, is well written and fairly brutal, not lacking any punch, but also not lacking intelligence. The manner in which the small team takes down Hate, their powerful superpowered opponent, is a smart resolution to the fight.
Andrea: I really liked that part. The fight was much more brutal - or realistic, depending on your interpretation - than the usual superhero fight. People got hurt, and they got hurt pretty bad, which is the opposite of the hero shrugging off a laser blast or taking a shot in the shoulder like it was no big deal. The violence here is real, it has consequences, and it gives the issue a dark, intense edge that separates it from the usual superhero title.
Adam: The artwork in this series is at times cartoony, but it fits. The artwork for the fight sequence is nice stuff, solid work which is fun to read. The character designs for this series are solid, the costumes that the characters wear are seemingly generic, but fit with the semi-military slant of the series. The depictions of the powers in action are nicely illustrated, and Hate, the escaped neogenic, (depicted on the cover), is fearsomely depicted, despite the seemingly cartoony nature of the art.
Andrea: I know Pena from his work on the title Awakenings (which is a great series I highly recommend to everyone), and he has a very distinctive style that’s very crisp and easy on the eyes. If there’s a complaint I have, it’s the fact that nearly everyone has the same weird looking nose. But beyond that, it’s very good, and as Adam pointed out, the action scenes are especially well handled, and Hate is one scary looking guy. Transparency Digital does a rich, dynamic job on the coloring.
Adam: All in all, it's a solid first issue by Mike Penny and Jason Rand, and promises bigger and better things for the future. Pick the issue up, it's worth a read and is fun and enjoyable.
Andrea: Absolutely. I can’t wait to see where this one goes from here.
Ratings:
Andrea's:
Story:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Art:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Overall:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Adam's:
Story:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Art:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Overall:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg