AWA Studios has been an interesting publisher. There’s a string of releases that have all been worthy checking out at least the first issue and numerous series to dive in and enjoy. J. Michael Straczynski has been one of the creators who have really taken advantage giving us a whole new world to escape into with The Resistance. Straczynski looks like he might be repeating that with Telepaths #1, a new series with an intriguing concept.
A solar flare threatens the Earth with an unknown impact to come. Telepaths #1 lays out the numerous pieces of the puzzle of what that impact will be in both good and bad ways. The issue is a hodgepodge of moments with various characters in numerous situations. Some of it plays out while some of it is just left on the shelf. A Presidential aide, a police officer, a convict, and more all get a snapshot as we’re introduced to their situations. It’s the calm before the storm and it’s the storm that’s the interesting aspect.
The solar flare, it’s clear by the end, has granted some individuals telepathic abilities. But, it’s the moments during impact that are the most intriguing. We see the failure of technology and the chaos it causes as the flare hits the planet. Accidents are plenty as it seems the whole world takes a nap for a little while. The whole world missing some time is a concept that feels familiar but it’s a small aspect of the bigger story. The fallout of it all is what stands out as individuals come to realize what has happened. Telepaths #1 is a solid tease of what’s to come, the opening moments of a big-budget film.
It’s no surprise that Steve Epting‘s art looks great. With color by Brian Reber and lettering by Sal Cipriano, Telepaths #1 has a style about it that ads to the cinematic quality of the story. Other than a couple of characters looking too similar, there’s a grounded aspect to everything that makes it all clicks. In fact, the art could have gone even more over the top in the chaos and it’d still have worked. Epting chooses to give us a big picture of the damage without a sensational aspect that might pull us out of the story.
Telepaths #1 is an interesting start to the series. There’s some aspects that are absolutely great. There’s some aspects that are thrown in there and feel like they don’t go anywhere. It’s clear they will eventually but we have one issue to review right now. There’s a making of a great series within and hopefully with the second issue we get to see the impact of this event with those lingering plotlines. For now, it’s a good start with a lot of potential.
Story: J. Michael Straczynski Art: Steve Epting
Color: Brian Reber Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Story: 7.5 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.6 Recommendation: Read
AWA Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
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Source: Graphic Policy
