Color me IMPRESSED – Brian Wood’s DV8 #1

Some of you may know that I was not around this week, while attending the ComicsPRO (Comics Professionals Professional Organization) meeting in Memphis. A lot of wonderful things happened at the show, including some that may mean really cool events for our customers (more on that some other time) but one thing that I did not think of as a big deal until my flight back, was my free copy of DV8 #1 by Brian Wood.

Very few remember DV8 from the old Gen 13 days, and maybe that is a great thing for this book. Also, most of my customers already know that I am a HUGE Brian Wood fan, after I have shoved copies of Northlanders and Demo down their throats (Northlanders is right up there with Scalped as my favorite comics out right now). I will read ANY Brian Wood book on the spot, but to be honest, when originally solicited, I was kinda worried about this one. DV8 was never the strongest property Wildstorm has ever had, nor has Wildstorm paid a lot of attention to the Wildstorm Universe titles for a very long time. This one seemed like a desperate attempt to relaunch a dead franchise. But with Wood’s name on it, I knew I would personally read it, and I knew I could sell at least as many copies of this book as the “weak” versions of Authority and Wildcats that are out there right now. With that in mind, I started reading my “freebie” copy of DV8 #1 on the 5 hour flight home from Memphis.

HOLY MOTHERLOVING CRAP!!!

This is a very special book. Forget anything you may have read about DV8 and Wildstorm in general. Read it as if you had never read one of those books before, and you get an amazing first issue in the vein of Michael Crichton’s Timeline, but with Super Powers. What a great premise to put a group of beings with powers through. The art is outstanding, and I have to agree with DC’s execs who said at the show that Rebekah Isaacs is going to be someone to pay attention to. Jim Lee in particular was a big fan, and I see why. The storytelling matches Wood’s writing particularly well, and by the end of the issue, you are in love with the concept and can’t wait for the next issue.