Alistair Meath has returned, but to a world where a conspiracy theorist is in power, someone else is leading his life, and panic attacks set off his powers. What is at the bottom of it all?

CATALYST PRIME KINO #11

Writer: Alex Paknadel
Artist: Diego Galindo
Colorist: Adam Guzowski
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Lion Forge Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 28, 2018

Previously in Kino: Alistair Meath, RAF pilot, and hero, has been ripped out of a virtual reality prison, but his new reality is entirely different. He’s wandering the streets of London, homeless, as someone else who looks like him is living his life. Meanwhile, there are some new people in Government including Mister Spode, the newly appointed Foreign Secretary, who holds that the asteroid event of last year was a hoax. As we absorb that, a hostage rescue in the Middle East threatens to turn against one of the rescuers, as the behest of a Lorena Payan. These threads all entwine at MI6 where Mister Spode claims that Devlin Gilmour, who attempted to rescue Meath is lying, cannot be trusted, and is going to be watched.

ELEGANTLY CRAFTED SUSPENSE WITH KEEN SOCIAL COMMENTARY

I do enjoy a book that can dig its teeth into some of the issues of the day, and Kino #11 does not disappoint. It starts out quietly enough, in a restaurant, where Devlin is having the jitters about proposing to his boyfriend. He ducks into the bathroom to collect himself, and hears the click of a pistol. He throws himself out of the stall and fights a guy dressed like a commando until, after a solid thumping on both parts, they talk. This is Clarence Coal, who was set up by Lorena Payan last issue. He worked for her, but now he wants to take her down. It turns out Payan is the one responsible for destroying Devlin’s credibility. And this all has to do with Alistair Meath.

Speaking of Alistair, he is out on the streets as a homeless person and has a panic attack that releases a burst of his powers. Gabby, whom he met last issue, is there to help him through it. Inquisitive, she asks if he always causes earthquakes when his PTSD acts up. It’s hard, setting up a returned hero to be homeless and isolated. It’s a gutsy move, but I appreciate it because it lets the creators touch upon an important topic we don’t often see in comics. Alistair has also whittled a small dog figurine, which ties into the next scene.

Devlin comes to Meath’s house, finding the bag with the figurine, which he hands to Patricia Meath. Over some scotch, Devlin tries to find out if Meath (the imposter, so far as we can tell) remembers anything about the lab he was rescued from. He does not. Devlin also notices some significant cracks in the wall of the house, which are attributed to subsidence. Devlin pulls a small device out of his pocket, which lets loose some kind of sound, and Meath slips and hits his head badly.

In another part of the city, the real Alistair Meath collapses, glowing with plasma. He runs, and Gabby follows him. Instead of being frightened, she encourages him to control his powers. Alistair takes flight and Gabby contacts someone on her phone, alerting them that someone has been activated, ahead of schedule.

Back at the Meath household, Patricia steps outside with Devlin and very quietly lets slip that she knows that whoever it is who is now living with her is not the man she married.

Alistair tumbles to the ground near the river, where he is accosted by three young, rich men who call him names and basically pick on him because he is homeless. Alistair is still not quite right in his head at the moment, and comes across as someone struggling with an untreated mental illness. The young men quickly escalate, talking about how the country is going to get “back on track” now that Spode’s in power, and beating him up. This is horrifyingly parallel to situations in our current world. Alistair’s powers flare again, and he takes out the men, ending up curled up in a fetal position and talking to his wife, who is not there.

MOODY AND DRAMATIC

For an, ostensibly, superhero book, this issue solidly connects with people who are trying to navigate the world while their connections have been damaged or even fractured. I have not been reading this book prior to this (although I will now), and despite the several characters and complicated plot threads, I felt that I understood most of who people were and what was going on.

The contrast between the couple at the restaurant and the opening fight scene feels like it’s in a movie. It’s a short fight, but violent, and I like that both men get pretty battered – they’re an even match and it’s not a pushover for one of them. I also enjoyed the fact that Devlin did finally propose, bloody nose, swollen eye and all. His boyfriend’s expression is priceless.

Alistair, the real Alistair, really does look terribly lost. He has a badly wounded face, and is unshaven. He looks like he’s homeless, but more than that, we see the absolute terror of his panic attack, the intensity of when he is taken over by his powers, and the confusion when he is trying to figure out what’s going on and to connect his memories with the world he’s living in here.

BOTTOM LINE: INTENSE AND FULL OF INTRIGUE

We’re two issues into the current volume here with Kino #11. This is still a decent point at which to jump on. If you like stories of suspense and intrigue, as well as superpowers, I strongly recommend this book. The action is good, and the plot is engaging and interesting.