CREDIT: Aftershock Comics
Rating: 4/5 – Real Life Historical Figures Gathering to Save the World.
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
At ComicSpectrum we’ve reviewed quite a few of the new Aftershock series and have really enjoyed almost everything this new company has been publishing. On those where one of us didn’t necessarily connect with the specific story or art, we could still recognize that the quality has always been high as Aftershock has put together a talented roster of artists, writers and editors. Rough Riders is another fine example of a quality comic as writer Adam Glass, artist Patrick Olliffe, and editor Mike Marts have created an adventure book that uses actual historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Houdini, and more to stop the world’s evils.
It’s great to see Pat Olliffe’s art again. His art here is extremely enjoyable as he introduces us to Roosevelt and early 1900s fighter Jack Johnson. Olliffe has a sharp line which is appropriate here as both Roosevelt and Johnson have chiseled features that are striking and give Roosevelt in particular a superhero look despite him having a somewhat subdued costume. There was one particular scene where we see Roosevelt, not in costume but in the shower, and we see his scarred back that indicates his other grueling and violent adventures. Olliffe gives him a broad Batman-like back that also hints of a character in constant pain.
Writer Adam Glass’ first issue is one where the team is being assembled. After Roosevelt is given a mission to infiltrate Cuba for yet to be revealed reasons, he needs to gather a “phenomenal elite group with a special skill set”. That’s where the next issue may be headed. After getting Jack Johnson to join his group, Houdini is next on Roosevelt’s list. Rough Riders is another solid first issue from Aftershock. Glass and Olliffe have gathered a group of real life characters from history and are approaching the story with a less somber tone than that of Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen books that use fictional characers. Like most of Aftershock’s books, I’m excited to see where this series is headed next and will be following this series for at least the first arc.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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