Heart Attack #1
Written by: Shawn Kittelsen
Art by: Eric Zawadzki
Image Comics
2019
SERIES PREMIERE! Superpowers and teenage romance collide in the newest Skybound original by SHAWN KITTELSEN (Mortal Kombat 11) and ERIC ZAWADZKI (The Dregs, Eternal)!
Gene therapy has saved Americans from disease-only to give birth to Variants: people with powers so unique, the government denies their human rights. But a rebellion has begun…
Charlie North is on the run from the police when he crosses paths with Jill Kearney. Instant attraction becomes mass destruction when they unlock powers neither knew they had. Now, the question isn’t how to use them-but how far they’re willing to go.
While the basics of the story may be nothing new – those humans who first manifest mysterious super powers are persecuted for being dangerous and different – the focus of this adventure does promise to be a little different. While the powers that be fight to criminalize the next step in human evolution and police-state violence is commonplace, two people meet and fall in love. At the bottom level, it’s just that simple, and everything else is a background comment on the power, and value, of love. I like this approach, and the world it’s set in is engaging from page one.
The story and ideas behind it shine, but the comic loses some of that luster in the details. The art isn’t anything to write home about, with some of the characters looking squat or bent into painful angles. Most of the backgrounds are nice looking, but whenever something needs highlighting through colors or details, it falls a little flat.
It’s not bad, by any means, but certainly not the strength of the book. And the same can be said for the writing, sadly. The dialog comes off superficial, with very little emotion conveyed without resorting to strong language. And there’s nothing wrong with strong language, but using it only to express anger feels overly simplistic. The focus on drugs and social media may be intended as commentary on the characters, but it just makes them sound immature to me. I hope they’ll calm that down as the story moves into a more serious direction.
Lastly, I’m impressed with the inclusion of the artists’ politics so boldly throughout the book. I do think it’s a little much, as I suspect it will simply turn any one who disagrees away, instead of trying to subtly get into their heads. There may be time for that in future issues, now that the world is introduced and the stage is set. I hope Heart Attack won’t lose readers in the mean time, because a message about love being the thing that unites us all is one we need right now.
Love in the Time of Super Powers
A story about one of the strongest human emotions - love - set in a time of hatred and fear. While some readers may find the thinly-veiled political message a bit heavy handed, those not minding the intrusion will find a fast-paced story set with tons of excitement and action.
Brian Reed
Brian has been reading comics since January, 1987, when the death of Optimus Prime rocked his young world. Once a regular presenter on The Nerdstravaganza Podcast, Brian now writes for Florida Geek Scene.
