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Posted in: Comics, IDW, Review | Tagged: idw publishing, Jason Ciaramella, joe hill, joe hill's the cape, Nelson Daniel, superheroes, the cape, the cape: fallen, Zach Howard
Joe Hill's The Cape: Fallen #1 Review – Dark Superhero with a Quirky Twist
Eric returns to a cabin where he, his brother, and father once went frequented for vacation. He reflects on his last time there, but, on arrival, he finds a group of strangers occupying the cabin. He is ready to tear through them when he finds an old bully from grade school. However, he is friendly towards Eric and wants him to join the group for a session of LARPing.
The Cape: Fallen #1 is my entry point for this comic universe. It was impressive how quickly I was able to get up to speed on what has happened prior in this book.
The complexity of Eric and his actions were striking as well. He doesn't come off as an absolute bad guy, but he has certainly done bad things. He doesn't constantly focus on those bad things; he buries them deep. Here, he finds an odd mixture of nostalgia, forgiveness, and nerd-oriented fun with a former bully and complete strangers.
His bully, Josh, gets some light fleshing out in this issue. He's a strange but interesting guy, and he's very endearing in this comic.
LARPing isn't quite what I'd expect form a dark comic about a violent super-being, but it's a nice twist nonetheless. I also appreciate the frequent send-ups to older heroes from Marvel and DC.
Zach Howard delivers some gritty artwork with heavy linework and shading. The world is dirty, messy, and has an air of brutality to it. Eric is a dirty and scruffy man, and Josh's group are a diverse cast with telling visual designs and body language. Nelson Daniels' color work is darker and atmospheric. He focuses on the darker shades to compliment the shadows and the grim tone.
The Cape: Fallen #1 is grim and unique take on the idea of a superhero. It seems to take notes from other grounded stories about super-powered individuals with unstable emotions and turns it into something complex and compelling. This one is worthy of a recommendation. Check it out.
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