It’s time to bring back the past.
Creative Staff:
Story: Justin Jordan
Art: Juan Gedeon
Colors:Tamra Bonvillain
What They Say:
The world is full of monsters. Strayer kills them, but, of course, for a small fee… Nothing is free. Mala does magic of a sort… sometimes when she wants, sometimes not… She may be the only one who can save the world and Strayer is going to help her… whether he likes it or not…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Continuing with my committment to pick up all first issues at the least from the first year of AfterShock Comics debut, Strayer is the latest one to land in my hands. I haven’t read anything from Justin Jordan before so this is my first exposure to him, though I know his name by other works from Shadowman to Deep State. Juan Gedeon is a bit more of a known commodity to me as I enjoyed his work on Tomb Raider previously so I’m definitely glad to see what these two can do together with something original. And honestly, that’s the draw with this, seeing something that’s new and unshackled from everything else to stand on its own and take risks.
This opening issue is a bit lighter in some senses compared to other launch books from the publisher, but that’s partially because it’s working with a simpler opening amid a familiar theme. We’re some years into a far future after the end of everything and the age is one where it’s rough and raw as people survive amid the ruins. There are pieces of the past that surface, almost like magic in some ways, that combined with the hardscrabble elements of survival that most deal with while just trying to survive. As a post-apocalyptic story, what we see is familiar and easily digestible, but once you dig into Gedeon’s artwork a bit more with its style and groove, the more bits of nuance and design stand out as he stakes out this territory for their own. And that does make it a worthwhile venture if you enjoy what happens after the end of the world.
What this book does is to introduce us to our two main characters, with the tough but affable Strayer, a man with the skills and tools to do dangerous jobs and kill the monsters that exist in this landscape. He’s just looking for money to survive and enjoy what little life has to offer, but there’s something almost instantly likable about him. In contrast to him we get Mala, a short, cloaked, young woman who dreams of restoring the lost age with all its high tech wonders and glories as she wants to elevate mankind to its rightful place. She has a plan to do this but requires a bodyguard and is having a hard time finding one. Strayer ends up becoming the ideal one, but you know it’ll take a couple of tough situations before they fully click within these first few issues.
That said, Strayer does get to shine pretty well in this one when a titan awakens near the town where he and Mala meet and it gives him the opportunity to go take it down and earn some money by doing so. Like the cover image, it’s a great visual piece that reminds me of both Attack on Titan and Nausicaa with a kind of Baki element thrown into it with the close quarters combat across it. Gedeon definitely has a great sense of style here with the character designs as I love the angular look of Stayer and the way Mala is designed, but I also love the way the titan looks and how the larger than life elements play out. Both hit some really great sequences here and the book has captured my attention completely with the visuals.
In Summary:
I went into Strayer knowing nothing about it, which is a great part of the discovery process for me that I continue to enjoy. While there are familiar elements here to be sure in setup and the foundations of the world it’s also open to a whole lot more like most post-apocalyptic tales are. Jordan’s script is light but effective in really getting us our first look at these characters and this world and it’s made more engaging through Gedeon’s designs. Strayer himself has me intrigued in a way few lead male characters do since they tend to be far too familiar and uninteresting, but something about his personality and approach here coupled with his sense of humor just grabs me in all the right ways. Definitely a series I’m going to check back in on.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: AfterShock Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: January 27th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
