The Uniques #1
Writer/Artists: Comfort Love & Adam Withers
Company: Self-Published

I’m usually a bit disappointed when indie creators decide to try their hand at superheroes, because they’re rarely up to the level of the professionally produced, “we’ve been doing this for decades” level of DC and Marvel. Every so often you get an Invincible or a Dynamo 5, but straightforward, costume and all superheroics from self-publishers usually seems at best a touch unambitious. So I approached The Uniques with a bit of trepidation. However, while The Uniques is not as fully formed as some of the Image superhero books I love, it’s a very interesting spin on superheroes with promising artwork, intriguing characters and pretty kick ass action sequences. And even though the first issue hits a few familiar notes that may have been seen in other superhero comics, there are plenty of moments and indicators that writer/artist (and husband and wife) duo Love and Withers are plenty ambitious.

One of the coolest things about The Uniques is the premise, which involves a bit of a rug-pulling surprise at around the 10-page mark. I hate to give it away, actually, because the way the book is set up, it’s clear that Love and Withers are saving that surprise, and given that the surprise, the “where do they go from here?” moment was one of my favorite of the book, I’m really loathe to give it away. But on the other hand, it’s impossible to talk about the book properly without doing so. So I’m going to spoil the big shock of the issue in the next paragraph, but if you’re at all intrigued by this book based on my general reaction to it above, I’d suggest going to the website and downloading it for 99 cents and giving it a read, and then reading the rest of the review.

Fair warning? OK, here’s the coolest thing about The Uniques. It starts out looking like a story of a family of superheroes, about a telepathic/telekinetic teen girl whose parents are some of the most beloved heroes in the world, and how she’s trying to be her own person while still living up to those ideals. Interesting enough, but what happens on page 11, a world-changing event that would be impossible to do in a big shared universe like DC or Marvel, and damned tricky to pull off even in the semi-shared universe of Image, was a real shocker and changed what the book was about entirely. Basically, all the heroes are gathered for a ceremony, and a villain takes advantage of that crowded target.

Cut to two years later, and our heroine, Hope Sage, wakes up out of a coma and is immediately on the run from nurses and security intent on keeping her bed-ridden. The action sequence here is terrific, reminiscent of the early Ultimates story where Captain America breaks out of SHIELD custody. Love & Withers have great timing, whether it’s the gag of Hope discovering her open-backed gown, the chase/fight sequence throughout the hospital that evokes influences of manga, Hong Kong cinema and American action movies or especially their ability with big reveals, which is more uniquely comic book pacing. The big reveal of the destructive event has a great build-up and effective payoff, and the nature of Hope’s place of captivity, and her big escape from it, is also nicely done. It seems like the art of panel-to-panel action has been ceded to the manga market for the most part, with American comics going with a more beat panel- and splash page-based style that is reminiscent more of movies than comics. While Love and Withers have a touch of that new style, their action sequences call to mind some of the best comics action of the Silver Age up through the ’80s, and it’s a welcome thing.

The Uniques is also a thoroughly packed first issue. There are a good number of characters introduced, and while the focus is on Hope Sage and how she reacts to the tragedy early on, there are also hints of what’s going on with the other superheroes, and indications of a deeper, more sinister plot in the background. But really, Love and Withers spend most of their time building up Hope and her life and the people in it, and that pays off with a fairly deep, believable and likable character. The use of human relationships, such as a babysitter turned heroic icon, a family friend playing father figure and a once mildly estranged sister, smoothly blends the real and the superheroic. The Uniques is a superhero book pretty firmly rooted in the modern tradition of more realistic, character-driven superheroes, and while the codenames and costumes may be strictly old school, moments like Hope talking to Virtue, a superhero who serves as surrogate father figure, have much more to say about the characters as people than they do about them as superheroes.

Love and Withers do stumble a bit in terms of the superhero elements, which risk coming off as cheesy, a fate they are rescued from mostly on the strength of the character moments. Most of the names (Telepath, Virtue, Speed) are plain and unremarkable, and some (Countryman, Comrade) are just plain goofy. It’s tough to come up with interesting superhero codenames, I know, it seems like all the good ones are taken, but given that the real names can also be a bit on the hippie side (Hope and Conscience Sage, Paul Heart, etc.) it all sometimes feels, I don’t know, overly sincere. There’s also a weird disconnect for me in that the book features nudity (admittedly for a gag rather than for titillation) and a realistic use of the F-word, but it also features costumes, codenames and an idealistic version of superheroes that seems at odds with that more realistic treatment. It seems like a toning down of the more mature content would be more consistent with the overall tone, in addition to having the side effect of making it approachable to a wider audience.

The art on this book is one of the most unique aspects of it. According to their press materials, Love and Withers trade the art back and forth from layouts to pencils to final color, each working on every panel, a true collaboration. They also have over a half-dozen color separators and a talented letterer, Jeff Brzozowski, and the result is a pretty professional, and very attractive, finished product. One of the most impressive aspects of the art to me is the aspect I talked about above, the panel-to-panel storytelling skill, and great use of blurring effects and speed lines and such in the key action sequence of the issue, but it’s also just a very nice looking book. There are inconsistencies in the art, especially when it comes to facial features and head shapes, that I associate with rougher, early artwork rather than seasoned pros, but there are some panels, particularly the close ups on Hope during her big escape, that are very expressive and strong. The art has a vibe that draws comparisons to guys like Mike Wieringo and Todd Nauck, and in some panels you can see where Love and Withers could one day be in that league. The Uniques features simple, clean superhero costume designs, expressive characters, solid background work and impressive action storytelling, and that’s considerably more than I expect from a couple of creators I’ve never seen before.

This comic is not available in comic book shops as of this writing. To buy a copy, visit The Uniques website to pick up a digital or print copy.