I knew that The Loners would be a fun read as soon as I took a look at the front cover. The cover contains an imposing image of the six main characters and a short blurb which reads: "They're six former crime-fighters, with little in common, meeting as civilians in a spandex self-help group..."
And that is precisely what The Loners is about. It is a wacky comic that explores the possibility of quitting being a superhero. It explores an interesting question regarding superheroes and villains; is being a superhero a choice or is it destiny? Nature or nurture? Once you receive or obtain your powers, can you willingly turn your back on them?
This topic has been previously investigated in numerous comics and movies, for example Superman revokes his powers for a short while to try and live a normal life with Lois Lane. In Spider Man 2 Peter Parker rejects his powers since they seem to cause him only pain. However, each of the former investigations into these questions have been of a serious nature. The Loners takes these questions and makes them fun and fresh. The comic had me giggling throughout. I was disappointed when I reached the end only because I wanted to find out what happens next.
The Loners focuses on six main characters who meet on a regular basis and treat their former superhero lifestyles and powers as addictions which must be overcome. The story is also set sometime within the Civil War story arc, so it is doubly important for them to keep their powers hidden unless they want to be registered with the government and possibly imprisoned.
The six protagonists are all former heroes and all have their own reasons for wanting to leave their tights behind. The first issue of The Loners is not long enough to be able to fully discuss the reasons each character has for rejecting their abilities but gives enough tantalising clues to make you want to read the next issue. The protagonists are Mattie Franklin, youngest of the group and former Spider-Woman; Chris, keeper of the Darkhawk amulet which gives him special Darkforce powers; Mickey, known as Turbo when she dons her costume; Phil is the inheritor of the Green Goblin tradition; Julie Power, once part of the super group Powerpack, aka Lightspeed; and John, born as a mutant, known as Ricochet.
The comic opens with Lightspeed relapsing and flying around Sunset Boulevard. As the comic progresses, an evil plot is revealed whereby drug dealers extract blood from superheroes so as to synthesise a genetic drug called mutant growth hormone. When taken by a normal person, it endows them with the particular donor's powers for a short time, being the ultimate high and very addictive.
Mattie Franklin, the young Spider-Woman, storms out of a meeting, reveals that she has found out where these drug dealers are hiding out, and goes off to get revenge.
The story then evolves into one which is darker than expected. Although the plot leaves its fanciful notions behind and you even see images of mutants hooked up to machines to extract genetic samples, it never loses its smooth flow and flair. The story crescendos with a battle involving Spider Woman, Darkhawk, and Ricochet against a warehouse full of drug dealers and Nekra Sinclair, an evil mutant who was working with the dealers. Her body produces "neo-adrenalin" which when synthesised produces an ultra-high euphoria and is hundreds of times more potent than any amphetamine.
The artwork complements the storyline and is relaxed and graceful in its execution. The images have a refined sheen, giving everything a very glossy slick feel. Once the action begins the artwork truly excels, each panel effortlessly flowing into the next.
It is not often that I feel that a comic has something new to offer and although The Loners discusses a subject which has been dealt with in the past, it does so in a way which is fresh, invigorating and just plain fun. It will definitely be on my reading list.
• Mr Vella is an English literature graduate with a passion for comics and images. He lives with two cats and the occasional human.
• A review copy of this title was made available by Malta Comics.
And that is precisely what The Loners is about. It is a wacky comic that explores the possibility of quitting being a superhero. It explores an interesting question regarding superheroes and villains; is being a superhero a choice or is it destiny? Nature or nurture? Once you receive or obtain your powers, can you willingly turn your back on them?
This topic has been previously investigated in numerous comics and movies, for example Superman revokes his powers for a short while to try and live a normal life with Lois Lane. In Spider Man 2 Peter Parker rejects his powers since they seem to cause him only pain. However, each of the former investigations into these questions have been of a serious nature. The Loners takes these questions and makes them fun and fresh. The comic had me giggling throughout. I was disappointed when I reached the end only because I wanted to find out what happens next.
The Loners focuses on six main characters who meet on a regular basis and treat their former superhero lifestyles and powers as addictions which must be overcome. The story is also set sometime within the Civil War story arc, so it is doubly important for them to keep their powers hidden unless they want to be registered with the government and possibly imprisoned.
The six protagonists are all former heroes and all have their own reasons for wanting to leave their tights behind. The first issue of The Loners is not long enough to be able to fully discuss the reasons each character has for rejecting their abilities but gives enough tantalising clues to make you want to read the next issue. The protagonists are Mattie Franklin, youngest of the group and former Spider-Woman; Chris, keeper of the Darkhawk amulet which gives him special Darkforce powers; Mickey, known as Turbo when she dons her costume; Phil is the inheritor of the Green Goblin tradition; Julie Power, once part of the super group Powerpack, aka Lightspeed; and John, born as a mutant, known as Ricochet.
The comic opens with Lightspeed relapsing and flying around Sunset Boulevard. As the comic progresses, an evil plot is revealed whereby drug dealers extract blood from superheroes so as to synthesise a genetic drug called mutant growth hormone. When taken by a normal person, it endows them with the particular donor's powers for a short time, being the ultimate high and very addictive.
Mattie Franklin, the young Spider-Woman, storms out of a meeting, reveals that she has found out where these drug dealers are hiding out, and goes off to get revenge.
The story then evolves into one which is darker than expected. Although the plot leaves its fanciful notions behind and you even see images of mutants hooked up to machines to extract genetic samples, it never loses its smooth flow and flair. The story crescendos with a battle involving Spider Woman, Darkhawk, and Ricochet against a warehouse full of drug dealers and Nekra Sinclair, an evil mutant who was working with the dealers. Her body produces "neo-adrenalin" which when synthesised produces an ultra-high euphoria and is hundreds of times more potent than any amphetamine.
The artwork complements the storyline and is relaxed and graceful in its execution. The images have a refined sheen, giving everything a very glossy slick feel. Once the action begins the artwork truly excels, each panel effortlessly flowing into the next.
It is not often that I feel that a comic has something new to offer and although The Loners discusses a subject which has been dealt with in the past, it does so in a way which is fresh, invigorating and just plain fun. It will definitely be on my reading list.
• Mr Vella is an English literature graduate with a passion for comics and images. He lives with two cats and the occasional human.
• A review copy of this title was made available by Malta Comics.