Man, I just got my copy of issue #1 and now I'm dying because I'm late to the party! I don't think there's anyone who'd read the first issue and not IMMEDIATELY want to pick up the second.
This is belated by a long while but here's my thoughts on The Standard #1!
The artwork reminds me a lot of Andy and Adam Kubert, it's top notch professional stuff, but that's not what impressed me most. What really made me take notice of Jonathan Rector's pencils, is that the guy can tell a story. There's nothing worse than reading a comic with an artist who can draw pretty pictures but can't tell a story to save themselves. Rector knocks it out the park, I was never once left wondering what was going on. On top of that he's capable, perhaps more so than most, of expressing a huge range of emotion from the characters. These aren't stoney faced dead eyed mannequins posing from panel to panel, these are characters who show you exactly what's going on their heads simply by the looks on their faces.
In terms of story, I'll be honest and say that I was expecting yet another superhero yarn. It's almost impossible to do anything original with superheroes, however writer John Lees seems to not only be more than aware of that, he relishes in it. Lees takes the old cliches, and the new ones, and runs with them, they're not covered up or twisted to try and make them look new, they're in your face and the book is better for it. The transition between flashbacks to a simpler time and today's hardcore superheroes is seamless and great fun.
What really make the Standard special though, is the characters. The focus is about the people, set on the backdrop of the superhero stage. By the end of the issue, the main character Alex Thomas was as human to me as any comic character is likely to get. In a single issue Lees is able to create a sympathetic hero who you really want to root for, something only one other writer I can think of does well (Garth Ennis).
In terms of the overall story, I won't spoil it, but it's a doozy. The ending is superb and you absolutely will not see it coming, I had to read it a few times over just to make sure it was real. This a book any superhero fan, especially any superhero fan who's tired to the same ol' same ol', should pick up and absolutely will enjoy.
Can't wait to read issue #2!
Plus, I'll be linking to it on tomorrow's blog.
