Warlock #1

Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss when it comes to reading comics. In the past not knowing anything about the history of a comic has led me to some great reading experiences, because I don't have the connection and knowledge others do to know if something is "wrong."

This led me to becoming a Legion of Super Heroes fan, when I tried it for the first time with the controversial V.4 run, and is probably working now with this new Warlock series.

The only thing I know about Warlock, was that in some way he is connected to the Infinity Gems that Marvel's version of Darkseid Thanos is always after. So this entirely new version may be a slap in the face to the fans of the character, but for me I'm intrigued by what I see.

I'm not sure where or when this book is taking place, with jokes about no "spider bite" origins, I'm thinking it isn't in the Marvel Universe. Yet with things like acid rain making it hard to breath without masks it isn't in "our world" exactly either.

That doesn't really matter much now, but it was a question I did have given where this story seems headed.

Janine, a spunky designer, has been hired by a group of scientists to design a look for their new superhero who they hope will save the world. She believes they are movie producers making a superhero movie, and want her to design the look for it.

It's a thin plot for the first issue, but after reading it I felt intrigued not only by the premise but by the creators approach.

There are no thought balloons or captions in the entire book. The creators are taking the substantial risk that as when meeting new people, the reader must learn about the characters through what they say and how they act. Not by the cheat of getting inside their head and to their inner thoughts, and thus the living vicariously through their deeds.

That's a real brave approach, especially since it leaves a lot up to the reader to interpret what they see on the page. So the creators must put a lot of consideration both in dialogue and art, to give the reader the key elements of the story they are trying to tell.

There aren't too many books out there that seem to trust that their readers are intelligent enough to work at their reading. I hope they are rewarded with enough readers that do, to see more things along this line in the future.