- Writer: Matt Fraction
- Artists: Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson
- Letterer: Clayton Cowles
- Designer: Leonardo Olea
- Cover A Artists: Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson
- Editors: Lauren Sankovitch and Turner Lobey
Thanks to Image Comics for the review copy!
The first issue of ADVENTUREMAN was a bit confusing to me. It started with a rollicking retro tale of ADVENTUREMAN, his interestingly designed teammates, and his assorted villains engaged in an epic battle. Then, all of a sudden, it shifted to a seemingly unrelated story about a family set in the a retro-ish future. The stories didn’t seem very connected.
Issue 2 helps in this regard a great deal. While I still can’t tell you what is going on (I have some theories but don’t want to accidentally spoil anything), there are a lot more clues that tie the two parts of issue one together. This issue lacks big time fighting, replacing it with slow reveals as Claire tries to unravel what is going on.
One of the biggest draws of issue one was the gorgeous art, and that continues in this episode. While there are cell phones, ear buds, and characters with apparently robot legs (thus far unexplained), it has a classic vibe. My only complaint is, in some panels, there is white text representing what Claire is reading that can be a bit hard to read given the fact that there is some white background color.
One of the things that is throwing me off balance is, a lot of the characters lack context. There is little backstory to most of the characters and I’m starting to think this is by design. Writer Matt Fraction has done some excellent work, so I’m willing to assume he knows what he’s doing.
Adventureman continues to be an enigma, but I must admit, it hooked me. I really want to know what the deal is and if my theories are correct. That, combined with the futuristic retro style art will have me anticipating issue 3.
ADVENTUREMAN #2 is now available.
Check back in a few weeks for my thoughts on issue #3 of ADVENTUREMAN.
Do you plan to read the series? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!
