More and more I’m finding that time is a precious commodity for me. I just learned that in March, I will be working 22 days straight, no breaks. In between sobbing and working I managed to scrape together enough time to read and review issue #1 of The Wicked Righteous created by Terry Mayo and published by AlternaComics. The Wicked Righteous is a story where a biological attack kills everyone in the world with two exceptions: 1) All children and 2) anyone who has taken a life. Before we go any further, allow me a moment to reflect. First off this premise sounds eerily like Y the Last Man written by renowned comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan. In Y the Last Man, a biological attack kills anyone in the population with a Y chromosome (all men). This awesome series went on to win an Eisner award and is regarded areflects one of Vaughan’s best works. I pray that Terry Mayo has at least heard of the series and didn’t inadvertently knock off one of the best graphic novels in the last 15 years. Secondly, unlike the Y chromosome (something that connects all the deaths), The Wicked Righteous makes us swallow a huge pill. A biological attack that discerns age and criminal rap sheet? Please. But wait…bear in mind, I only read the first issue, so perhaps there will be more to this attack then is initially let on. Mayo has introduced religion as a major theme. Perhaps, maybe God is at play instead of some advanced virus. If God is responsible then Mayo will set himself apart from Vaughn. If not…then I’d ask for a refund and Vaughn should get a royalty. I’m optimistic because the series summary ends with this line: This is the world of the Wicked and the Righteous…and the children will lead them all." Ok, back to the story. The Wicked Righteous follows four brothers (Johnny Matt, Lucas and Mark) as they begin their plans to vacate a dangerous San Diego. Their plans are interrupted when a girl is kidnapped by a ruthless gang and they decide to save her. The story also features a deranged kid left behind by Lucas that will no doubt pop up again in the coming books. The issue ends with a stressful cliffhanger. As I mentioned earlier, there is a religious element at play. Some Bible-based comics shove the message down your throat in hopes that you’ll go to church. This is not one of them and for that I commend Mayo. He goes a more subtle route utilizing the Bible as inspiration, that doesn’t come off as preachy. The four brothers had a religious upbringing and as a result of the attack, Lucas turns away from God and Matt is drawn closer to God. Also, if you hadn’t caught on, the brothers are named after Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Gospels in the Bible. I need to stop reading just issue #1 for these reviews…because I want more. I’m going to make it a policy that I won’t review single issues, because frankly I wanted to know what happens next. That’s a good thing. The issue left off with a major cliffhanger, a protagonist in major peril. I wish Mayo had worked harder to make me invested in the characters. Unfortunately the brothers are pretty generic, offering very few quirks or unique character traits. I hope in the coming issues I start to root for the four brothers. But Mayo did do just enough to hook me. The art is a strength of this book. I must warn you, despite being about kids this M-Rated book is gory. Chris Hall did an excellent job of executing (pun intended) when it came to that gore. However, he uses the same gold color tone in the background throughout the entire issue, which gets boring after a while. The repetitive background really detracts from the rest of the art, which is quite good. Lucas Romero did a solid job with pencils and character creation. I also enjoyed his use of inks, creating great shadows setting the tone. The deadly gang members in the back half of the book are so unique and well done by the two artists. Just like the writing, my only wish is that they hadn’t made the brothers so generic looking. There is nothing special or differentiating about them. You won’t be seeing any “Matt/Mark/Lucas Cosplays” anytime soon. In conclusion…It’s difficult to give Mayo a score for his writing. I can’t tell if he’s knocking off Y the Last Man or if he’s going a totally unique direction. I thought our protagonists (the 4 brothers) were very boring while the rest of the supporting cast was super interesting. Despite my doubts, the final scenes have me intrigued for issue #2. The art was a strong point, I just hope that Chris Hall lays off the Midas Touch in the coming issues. If the Brothers start to develop as characters, I think we’re all in for an enjoyable read.
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