Welcome to the future. The future where you can hide reality with veils! Find out if Detective Dunes has his head in reality in Clear #1, a comiXology Original!

CLEAR #1

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Francis Manapul
Colorist: Francis Manapul
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: comiXology Orignal
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 12th, 2021 

Previously on Clear: Check out the latest book from comiXology with writer Scott Snyder and artist Francis Manapul. Enter a sci-fi mystery set in an odd dystopian future. Most people are on a veil, which allows them to distort reality and ignore what they don’t want to see.

LINES AND VEILS

Clear #1 starts with an interesting story about a group of people in an asylum who thought they were famous creative people. When the asylum was burning down, they committed to their delusions instead of escaping the building. While we are hearing this story, we see a woman climb the Golden Gate Bridge and jump off. Elsewhere, we are introduced to Detective Sam Dunes who is an investigator for hire. His primary clients are tracking down people using illegal veils. Veils act as a way to change reality, but some are illegal and show things that people would want to hide. His current case is for Mrs. Madders who is tracking her husband to see if he is using an illegal veil.

Unfortunately, he is caught and goes into a chase scene against the people selling the illegal veils. After a bad crash, police show up and Dunes meets Detective Collins. At the station, Collins shows Dune his ex-wife’s body. She apparently committed suicide. Back at his office, Dune finds a package. It is a watch he once sent his ex-wife with a simple engraving. “I was murdered”

A THRILLING INTRODUCTION

The first thing I realized when reading Clear #1 was the amount of text on the page. As I was reading the first few pages, I realized I didn’t look at the pictures at all. The story was captivating that for the moment I forgot I was reading a comic and not just a story. And this problem continues throughout the story. Which is a little unfortunate because the art is amazing. The writing and the art work well separately, but when we put it together, they detract from one another. And the best comics are the ones where the art and writing work in tandem.

With all that being said, Clear #1 has a solid narrative arc and this comic acts as a great hook into the series. I immediately want to know more about what is going on and I connect with Detective Dunes. There is also something inherently cool about being the one guy grounded in reality while everyone else is looking at escapism. And this almost feels like a parallel to modern day phone addiction. It is safe to say I’m hooked on the premise, and I want to find out more about this series.

BOTTOM LINE: ALMOST PERFECT

Clear #1 has some excellent ideas and a great art style. But if it was able to strike a better balance between the word length and the art, I think it would have been a stronger. With that being said, Clear #1 is a 4 out of 5 and I am ready to find out what happens next.

---

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.

Clear #1

80%

80%

Almost Perfect

Clear #1 has a great premise but lacks a balance between the art and the writing.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (2 Votes)
  2.6