The Weatherman Volume 1 Written by Jody LeHeup, Art by Nathan Fox, Color by Dave Stewart, Lettering by Steve Wands
Synopsis: The future’s only hope has a zero percent chance…
Local weatherman and fun-loving amnesiac Nathan Bright was just a normal guy living the good life on terraformed Mars. But the past Nathan didn’t know he had comes back to murder him when he’s accused of carrying out the worst terrorist attack in human history–an event that wiped out nearly the entire population of Earth.
Confused, terrified, and ill prepared for life as the galaxy’s most wanted, Nathan’s fate lies in the hands of Amanda Cross, the disavowed government agent assigned to his case. Together the unlikely duo will have to rely on each other as they battle their way through the solar system in search of the truth buried in Nathan’s lost memory…and the key to stopping the real enemy from carrying out a second extinction-level attack.
A full-throttle, wide-screen, science fiction epic about the damage we do in the name of justice and what it truly means to be redeemed…you don’t want to miss THE WEATHERMAN!
Collecting The Weatherman #1-6
Thanks to Image Comicsfor providing a copy of The Weatherman for review!
One thing a lot of superhero origin stories have in common is the pursuit of revenge. Revenge is a central theme of The Weatherman as well, though not in the usual way. Instead of celebrating a good guy getting their revenge against someone who did them harm, this book highlights the dangers inherent in seeking blind vengeance.
A horrible terrorist event 7 years prior to Weatherman has left the remnants of the human race on Mars hungry for revenge. Even though the government’s top people spent those 7 years looking for the guilty party they failed. If that’s not a mark against the trustworthiness of the people investigating that crime, I don’t know what is. It seems clear that someone with a great amount of power and influence had something to do with the destruction of thousands of human lives.
The main character, Nathan Bright, is the most hated man in the universe. I can’t say I really care for him either. He is a walking mass of bravado and overconfidence. His life as a weatherman is interrupted by special military operatives who are after his brain. Trouble is, Nathan has no idea why! Nathan is linked to the attack on humanity, but his memory was wiped. Fortunately, someone has tech that can piece together his memories of the event. The premise gave me some serious Chuck vibes, which was fun for a bit. Nathan is nowhere near as likeable as Chuck though.
Throughout this trade paperback, 2 separate factions try to capture and contain Nathan. The people who want to use his brain to try to safeguard the future of humanity, and the people who want to kill Nathan for doing something he can’t remember. This brings up some interesting questions about Nathan’s culpability in light of his memory loss. Can Nathan still be blamed for doing something he legitimately has no memory of? Is he still the same person who committed those crimes if he has no memory of that person existing? The answers are left to the reader, at least after the first 6 issues.
Overall, this wasn’t my favorite read but I appreciate it for what it is. It’s a high action story, so if you’re looking for a vengeance tale with lots of fighting and angry people being angry it might hit the mark!
The Weatherman Volume 1 goes on sale on at comic book shops on February 27th, and traditional book stores on March 5th.
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