Whilst rummaging through the clearance box at my local comic book shop I came across this little beauty at a bargain price of 20p (I did get a little bit excited, I’m not going lie). As it happens, I had actually been considering this title as a possible addition to my pull list at the start of summer 2016. The Justice League took that spot, mostly because I wanted to see things from a DC fan’s perspective as well personal interest, but it was one I did mull over for some time. Before I share my thoughts, a brief(ish) summary:
Keisha is at a nightclub, asking people about a mysterious group and, moreover, how she can get in touch with them. She is told to go to a site called Babble and go onto Channel 0. She shares the problem she needs help with: the sudden death of her boyfriend Stephen, a boy certain that the seemingly perfect town of Rook had some dark secrets just beneath the surface. Suddenly, a rather large head appears in Keisha’s room, informing her that her request is being processed, something spared for very, very few cases brought forward. She goes to school the next day where she receives an invite to a party in memory of Stephen, or a pity party as she puts it. After returning home, she is surprised to see a parcel addressed to her from Stephen. The CD within informs her that Stephen was setting out to work out was going on once and for all before his abrupt demise. She goes to the party where she meets some new kids who strike Keisha as a little odd. She wanders off through the trees towards the point where Stephen told her to go where she is met with what can only be described as Slender-man-esqe robots armed with guns. They go to attack Keisha but kids she met back at the party step in. Telic takes a jab at one whilst Animalia appears in the form of a rather large red bird and destroys several at once.. The kids come clean. They are: Generation Zero!
In relation to the picture above, the main protagonists we see in this opening issue are the top row (Cronus, Telic and Animalia) and Keisha, who resides dead centre. In not introducing all the characters above, it does allow for a touch more development which is much appreciated, considering how fresh these characters are to me.
I don’t really know what to make of this issue. On one hand, it raises some really big questions that are definitely intriguing but I just didn’t enjoy the issue as much as I thought I would, way back when I was considering collecting it.
Other than Keisha and Stephen, the characters weren’t heavily developed which did create a sort of detached feeling which I found off putting. Keisha and Stephen (Though his time was more short lived) definitely struck me as interesting characters in terms of what they have to deal with it. Keisha’s life was fascinating, her brother’s obsession with drawing spiro graphs to stop the “Corner men” getting in really sparking a sense of intrigue. Her position as a sort of outsider provided for interesting interactions with the “In-crowd” that were enjoyable to read about. In all fairness, Keisha’s character is rather solid on it’s own in sparking an interest in the title personally.
The premise of Generation Zero was also fascinating. Their chat room request service is unique and I found it rather cool, being able to go online and contact a team of heroes for help (I wouldn’t mind having that sort of thing available, to be honest). Their limited acceptance of cases added yet more depth as it begs questions relating to the criteria for picking cases and to what extent the whole team works in solving the case. The setting adds a greater element of mystery with the clear secrets that lie beneath having serious repercussions that most definitely sparked my interest.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this issue as much as I thought I would. In its defence this is my first real experience of Valiant comics so my feelings of detachment are to be expected (Justice League left me a little detached when I started reading it last year). If you are looking for something with a rather hefty amount of sci-fi mystery, this title might be worth a look (Be warned, this title did begin a few months ago so I’m not sure how easy it would be to get hold of back issues. Graphic novels might be worth a look at). If you have any thoughts or questions please leave them in the comments.
(The images used are property of Valiant Comics and I, in no way, claim to have produced them myself)
Side note: Tomorrow is a rather big day as it marks the 1 year anniversary of my first blog post. I intend to put out a special post signifying this and another personal achievement along with (hopefully) a couple of other posts I have been meaning to write for ages (I aim to do at least one Buy Pile this weekend). If nothing else, I will definitely be writing a special post tomorrow as a minimum so keep your eyes peeled.
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