Captain Kid #1 Review

Well, another publisher dives into the superhero genre! And they’ve got a great crew on board as well!

CAPTAIN KID #1
Writer: Mark Waid, Tom Peyer
Artist: Wilfredo Torres
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Published by: AfterShock Comics
Cover price: $3.99

Previously in CAPTAIN KID: Chris Vargas is a middle-aged man with a hacking cough, an obsolete job, and a bombastic secret: whenever he likes, he can transform into the teenage superhero CAPTAIN KID! In this, his first recorded adventure, he encounters Helea, a mystery woman who knows more about him than he does, and Halliday, a mad businessman with a catastrophic weapon!

A LOT OF US CAN RELATE TO THIS CONCEPT

As I continue to age, I look back on my younger years and wish they’d have lasted a lot longer. When I turned 50, my body said to me, “Fun time’s over, buddy!” Now I have enough pills that I could open my own pharmacy!

So, imagine if you could become younger just by wishing it! Not only that, but you could become a teenage superhero at the same time!

I mean, even when I was younger, I imagined what this would be like, turning into a superhero! I think nearly all of us have done this, at one time or another!

Of course, leave it to Mark Waid and Tom Peyer to turn a fantasy into a fascinating story concept, and that’s what they do with Captain Kid, the first superhero comic from AfterShock.

I feel for Chris and his various aches and pains. We meet him on his birthday, getting older each year, but he’s got a leg up on the rest of us in that he CAN become a teenage superhero by wishing it. Then a woman talks to him in the bathroom, of all places, and reveals she knows his secrets! Now THAT’s unnerving, all right!

Chris and his friends are very realistic, and we see his father as well, each one all too human. But his new “partner,” Helea, hints that there are rough times ahead for them both as they take on something on the evil side of life. Again, who told Waid and Peyer I used to dream about this?!

The pacing’s fast, and there are clearly differences between the “normal” and the heroic chapters of this debut comic. It’s a great start, and a different take on superheroes, one that fits with AfterShock’s aim to deliver creator-owned storytelling that excels.

SUPERHEROIC ART

Torres’ art is very good, helping us get into both Chris’ “real” life and his superheroics. Nice job on the expressions in particular, and great work on the superhero posings.

My only fault with this art is that I’d have like some more detail, particularly in their faces. The coloring helped a lot with this, but just a little more enhancement on their expressions would have been a great thing!

BOTTOM LINE: It’s Not Easy Being Semi-Super

I’m often reminded of how badly we think we have it until we read a story like this one. Imagine having to leave a young, virile body behind to get back to daily living. It reminds me of that classic Miracleman story in which the hero ended up killing his junior partner when he accidentally turned human again. It can be that gripping.

The characters are strong, dramatic things happen on just about every page, and Wair and Peyer have begun unfolding just what’s going on in a determined pace that means we need to come back each month to find out the truth.

If you’re a superhero fan like I am, be sure to get this comic so you can get in on the ground floor! I bet many more surprises and twists will be greeting us in the months ahead!

[taq_review]

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