Psychics, assassins and communists. Brain Boy is not your average comic to say the very least.
Although heavy and dialogue and lacking in breakneck action, you’ll find its return to comics an interesting mix of cinematic storytelling and comic book craziness.
Written by the always busy (because his talents are usually called for across a myriad of comic book companies) Fred Van Lente, the debut issue of this forgotten gem has the potential to be pretty damn exciting, even if its first appearance in the comic book world in more than 50 years takes a bit too long to develop. Who those of us who haven’t a clue to the lineage of this series, it was originally created by Herb Castle and Gil Kane in 1962 and centered around a telepath who fought against a psychic, one Fidel Castro.
Yeah, you read that right.
This time around, we have the modern-day Brain Boy, a Secret Service contractor who’s powers are beyond cool. Not only can he read minds, he can see into someone’s subconscious and see their innermost thoughts. He can even levitate and look in a room and get an idea of who was there prior. Crazy isn’t the word. Simply put, Matt Price can and should be something special.
His backstory is also chock-full of twists and turns, which will make the future episodes a peach to unravel. The killer ending to the debut issue, although somewhat expected if you’re really paying attention, still delivers the goods.
The only problem is the comic feels like one-man show. Van Lente’s story is solid, there’s just too much dialogue and text on the page. R.B. Silva’s pencils are on point and cater to the serious, yet wildly unpredictable main character, but we’re never drawn to them. Instead, you’re trying to read all the text on the page. For the comic to truly blossom, there needs to be more synergy between writer and artist.
That squabble aside, those who can digest the text heavy tale will find it a smart and catchy comic with plenty of room to develop. But that all depends on how willing Van Lente is to letting Silva have more room on the page.
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