- Writer: V.E. Schwab
- Artist: Enid Balám
- Colorist: Jordi Escuin Llorach
- Letterer: Rob Steen
Thanks to Titan Comics for the review copy!
At the risk of dating myself, the pop culture reference point that jumped into my mind when I read ExtraOrdinary was Flatliners, the 1990 movie about med students who create near death experiences to figure out what lies beyond life. In ExtraOrdinary, people discover that the result of near-death experiences is gaining superpowers (If only Flatliners had come up with this brilliant premise, I might not be the only person who remembers it).
ExtraOrdinary employs the ‘start in the middle of the action with an exciting action sequence and then go back to how we got there’ technique. In this case, we get a confrontation between Eli and Victor. We then flash back to their backstory, which provides the bulk of the issue. The issue does an admirable job establishing Eli and Victor as characters while sprinkling in the series lore that forms the basis for the book’s premise. I liked how the story was told out of chronological order. Eli and Victor are nuanced characters – you aren’t sure who is good and who is bad, which makes for an interesting read.
For a book about super powers, the art of ExtraOrdinary is quite grounded. So far, this is not a capes and tights type of book. The characters are just people (who helpfully have different hair colors to help distinguish them easily). The action is well choreographed and easy to follow.
ExtraOrdinary‘s first issue tells a fairly self contained story (though it clearly sets up the next installment), which I find helpful when sampling a new series. The story has a cool premise that shows a lot of promise. There is some violence and blood, so some parental discretion is advised.
ExtraOrdinary #1 is now available.
Do you plan to read the title? Have you already ? Let me know in the comments.
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