That's what it says on the cover in large red
letters against a stark white background. The lone figure on the
cover, a large cartoonish man in a yellow costume with
stylized wings on his back, looking thoughtfully to one side
gives an answer to that burning question. "I don't know!!!"
he says.
He is Lord Talon, hero of Big City.
We first meet Lord Talon when he swoops in to thwart
a major lumber heist by the minions of the evil, Dr. Julian
Jerque at the Explode Lumber Yard. Dodging bullets and
tossing out epithets like "you begoggled devils", we have
here, the makings of a fun series. Visually, the main
character bears a striking resemblance to such popular
characters as The Tick and the Animated versions of Batman
and Superman, but there are enough fresh elements to make it
worth our while to keep reading. The art, while definitely
amateurish and a bit crude, still shows a lot of promise.
Beneath the simplistic backgrounds and rough, barely
effective inking, the art manages to tell the story.
The art meets the most fundamental goal of comic
book art, it tells the story effectively, but it is the writing where
this book really shines. Lord Talon is portrayed as the
dedicated crimefighter, a bit denser than most, but still
mostly effective. In a moment of introspection, he is caught
unawares by one of the lumber thieves and struck down from
behind. Regaining consciousness in the home of Nathan
Explode, the owner of the lumber yard and a former super
hero known as Combuster, our hero is offered the chance to
lead a new team of heroes to protect Big City.
This book has it all, lantern-jawed hero, the fight for justice,
the obligatory scantily-clad super heroine (Nightie Knight, now
THERE'S a good name!) and the icing on the cake, one of the main
characters is an angry monkey! And this is just
the beginning.
I have it on good authority that the creators have issues 2
and 3 ready for the printers and they're serious about keeping the
book going. In an industry littered with one-shot wonders and pitiful
throwaway ashcans, you have to respect that kind of commitment.
I, for one, am looking forward to the next issue of "The 7
Guys of Justice" and hope they sell enough to do multiple printings.