Death Sentence #1 (Titan)

Rating: 5/5 – Highly original w/great dialogue, can’t wait to see what happens next!

Writer Montynero starts us off right away with some information that lays the groundwork for the world the story is set in:

What is G-Plus?
It is a fatal virus, most commonly transmitted through unprotected sexual activity or by sharing needles with an infected person. Individuals infected will display extra-normal abilities. There is currently no cure or effective treatment for G-Plus. Life expectancy for individuals with G-Plus is six months from the date the virus becomes productive. The virus can incubate for some time before this period. Individuals can expect to feel energetic and physically well until the final weeks, though depression or extreme swings in mood are not uncommon.

Montynero stages the scenes to introduce the reader to key characters, provide tidbits of background information that flesh out the world, and keep things moving along with some great dialogue.  As you might expect from a story that hinges around an STD that transmits super-powers, this is NOT a comic for kids, it’s like an “R-rated” movie.   Trying to do this as an all ages book would compromise the story, I’m glad to see the story utilizing language/nudity that is not  gratuitous but adds to the atmosphere being established for the story.

While there is violence (and implied violence) on par with what you’d find in most R-rated action movies, it fits with the story being told and is both more realistic and less aggrandized than the average super-hero slugfest where characters can have limbs ripped off or be punched through a wall and come back just fine in the next issue.

While we have action, the story is driven by the characters, not the action sequences.  We get a couple of nice action scenes involving the activation of powers that were very compelling.  Verity Flett’s power activation in particular sold me on issue #2.  I need to see what happens next.  We’re going to have powered individuals with little to lose and that’s got to be on a collision course with more than an equal & opposite reaction from the authorities.  I have a feeling they’ll overreact horribly just like they often do in the real world.

Mike Dowling’s art complements the story.   He’s got a style that while not photo realistic features figural anatomy that you could see walking down the street in most normal cities.  This clearly separates the look of Death Sentence from most super-hero books on the racks, which is exactly what was needed for this story.  I’d say the same of the color palette that is more muted and contributes to the mood of the story.

If you want something totally different from the majority of the super-hero books on the stands that  also stands apart from the wide array of independent comics, check out Death Sentence #1!

Reviewed by: Bob Bretall – bob@comicspectrum.com
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