THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE #1 (DC Comics, April 04, 2018 release date) “Inferno, Part 1”. Storytellers: Philip Tan & Justin Jordan. Dialogue: Justin Jordan. Art: Philip Tan. Colorist: Rain Beredo. Letterer: Wes Abbott.
I’m a sucker for a new series debut. Sometimes the smart plan is to resist the impulse to buy it right away, wait a bit and read a few reviews on respectable comic news sources. Then if the reviews indicate that it’s a great title, just wait some more for the first story arc to conclude, and then buy the eventual trade paperback. As many times as I tell myself that, I still pick up a good amount of these #1 issues.
I could make the excuse that readers of this blog expect me to express my opinion on new titles. Can you imagine how expensive that can get at the rate that new series debut every month? I do receive some digital copies of books, but not that many. Plus I don’t get any advance review copies from the Big Two publishers, and they are the folks that are flooding comic shop shelves with a constant barrage of new, new, new. But the reality is that I am an impulse buyer when it comes to comics. It’s a rare day that I walk into a comic shop and don’t end up purchasing something.
But you probably started reading this because you were interested in my thoughts on THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE and I haven’t gotten around to that topic yet. Okay, my apologies. I’m stepping off the podium in order to get down to business.
THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE is part of DC’s new initiative: The New Age Of DC Heroes, with a total of eight new titles. Already, I see a contradiction. That three-piece fold-out cover sure makes it look like I picked up a horror comic, not a super-hero title.
This book is obviously about a young man who makes a deal with the devil, and we know how those always turn out. I admit that this was not specifically stated in Issue #1, but it’s certainly implied. At best Joe Chamberlain, the main character, made a bad deal with the wrong organization. So, Joe’s going to be turned into a creature of evil, or at least used for nefarious purposes. How is that heroic, DC New Age of Heroes?
I’m assuming, because the story doesn’t progress far enough to answer all my questions in Issue #1, that Joe’s transformation and purpose are going to be at odds with his goals. I expect him to struggle in his new role, and attempt to use his powers for good in spite of his benefactors. Shades of GHOST RIDER!
Issue #1 is a bit slow until the end pages, but that’s because it builds a strong argument that justifies why Joe would make such a hasty decision. He’s trying to survive in a depressed town, the former coal mining town, former factory town, and now boarded up rural city of York Hill. Jobs are scarce and so is money. Joe desperately wants his diner-working sister to go to medical school, and their unemployed disabled father just spent some family money unwisely. So he meets the “Salesman”, hand-shakes himself into a bad deal, and is turned into Brimstone - - a character best described as a burnt toast version of Firestorm on a bad haircut day.
Scripter Jordan and artist Tan make a convincing case for the desolation and desperation of York Hill. It is bad, and it looks bad. Brimstone burning it all down might be an improvement. I can’t wait to see Tan illustrate that and Beredo enhance it with vivid colors. The ink and color work on this book is superb. Too bad Tan’s neat art is a little inconsistent and muted in places.
RATING SYSTEM
STORY: It’s a little slow, but I can see where things are going. That’s promising enough to get me back for another issue. 2 POINTS.
ART: Tan’s art is worth dwelling over, but only in spots. There are too many panels that are muddy and hard to clearly discern the action. There are too many panels where the faces need more definition. But there are some cool panel placements that drive the action across the page to offset those limitations. 2 POINTS.
COVER: If this was a horror comic, I’d give that fold-out cover the full 2 points. But it’s not. 1 POINT.
READ AGAIN? You need to read the exchange between Joe and The Salesman a second time in order to fully buy into his quick acceptance. 1 POINT.
RECOMMEND? Yes. There is enough promise that I believe this will be a worthwhile book. 1 POINT.
TOTAL RATING: 7 POINTS. Trending towards above average. Worth a look. Just don’t put it on your pre-order pull list yet. Try a few issues.
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