SECRET WEAPONS: OWEN’S STORY #0 (Valiant Entertainment, March 14 release date) Writer: Eric Heisserer. Artist: Raul Allen and Patricia Martin. Letterer: Patricia Martin.
This is the second SECRET WEAPONS #0 issue to spotlight on a single member of the team by highlighting some past events in their lives that occurred before the wrap-up of the SECRET WEAPONS limited series. Based on everything so far, I hope there are more in the works.
This one-shot issue focuses on Owen Cho, another psiot (people with fantastic dormant abilities requiring a dangerous process to activate) who unfortunately doesn’t have a very useful or convenient power. That’s what landed him in the Harada Corporation’s Willows complex, a secretive secondary training ground for rookies deemed low potential.
Owen Cho can conjure objects. The problem is he has no control over when or what materializes. Often it’s an object that appears worthless, only to become valuable later.
The story opens with Owen attempting to divest himself of many of these materialized objects through a garage sale. A street smart kid makes a sarcastic comment that sets a light-hearted tone for the rest of the story:
“Hey Owen! This is what you’re doing to make some money? Where’d you get all this stuff? Did you steal it? Because if so you don’t know a lot about stealing.”
Form this point the story proceeds in a series of short vignettes showing the various items that Owen used his powers to make appear, how they were eventually utilized, and illuminating details on Cho’s character, values, and objectives.
Owen meets a friendly elderly fortune-teller who attempts to assist him in finding his way. Owen is convinced that he just makes random stuff. The tarot-reader thinks he needs to get his mind in sync with what’s happening. He’s looking back at yesterday while he needs to focus on today to manifest what he wants.
Items that he “pops” into existence include a cute doll, a bicycle tire pump, a leaf skimmer, a vacuum cleaner, a dress store dummy, a jacket (not even his size), a guitar, gas mask, noise canceling headphones, and more.
I don’t want to spoil your fun by sharing how these objects are used. It all works out in the end with Owen’s creations actually helping others out of some tight spots.
RATING SYSTEM
STORY: There are a variety of ways Heisserer could have chosen to tell this story. But considering who the main character is, the choice he made is the absolute best. And it takes this story to another level of quality writing. 3 POINTS
ART: The art is not overly detailed, but the small panels make it work. Raul Allen’s style is perfect for this book. Expressions and body language are strong points. 2.25 POINTS.
COVER: Helps to convey the light-hearted nature of the story and give a good indication of the contents. 2 POINTS
READ AGAIN? Too much fun to only read once. 1 POINT.
RECOMMEND? I’ve really enjoyed the SECRET WEAPONS series and recommend you grab the trade paperback and the spotlight #0 issues as well. 1 POINT.
TOTAL RATING: 9.25 POINTS. High quality. Not many books reach this level.
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