DYNAMO 5, Vol. 1, Trade Paperback
Post-Nuclear Family: Collects issues 1-7
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Jay Faerber
Artist: Mahmud A. Asrar
Colorist: Ron Riley
$9.95
August 2007
I really enjoy picking up trades that are less than ten bucks, like the early run of Teen Titans Trades (a later review), but I wanted to talk about another book: Dynamo 5 from Image Comics. The first volume, subbed Post-Nuclear Family, is currently available for the "introductory" price of $9.99. I listened to Comic Geek Speak podcast interviews with Faerber and Asrar and peaked my interest in the book so I read it. These two collaborate on the comic between the US (Faerber) and Turkey (Asrar). Faerber works on Image's "Noble Causes" book as well, but Dynamo 5 is his creation.
The premise is a superhero, Captain Dynamo, has died. (This was in one of the Noble Causes issues where he was a bit player.) In the wake of his death, his favored Tower City is overrun by the "bad guys." His widow, Maddie, puts a superhero team together to carry on his legacy, and Dynamo 5 is created as a teen superhero team.
Okay, but what's the catch? The five teens, we discover, are Captain Dynamo's children by other women! Captain Dynamo apparently had a weakness for the ladies! These five, instead of inheriting all or half of their Dad's powers, only inherited one power each, Scatterbrain (mind reader), Scrap (super strength), Myriad (shape shifter), Slingshot (super speed flight) and Visionary (vision powers). Total strangers from different families across North America, teens coming to terms with their powers and parentage, interacting with each other, and keeping it all secret from their family and friends. In one of the stories, Visionary gets home late from a mission and is grounded for being out past curfew. Subsequently, he cannot participate in a slugfest being televised in his living room the next day with his teammates Scrap and Slingshot.
If you're a fan of old fashioned "punch now, talk later" slugfests--Dynamo 5 is your book. Asrar's art is great and some of the battle spreads are a joy to behold. The writing is excellent and moves quickly with twists here and there to keep life interesting. The scenes where the kids interact with their family members are great counterpoints to the action they just "snuck" home from! And, wait for it, these five aren't Captain Dynamo's only kids.... You have to read the book as I don't want to spoil the ride.
The trade is bare bones and does not include a lot of the "extras" the monthly comic includes, like more of Asrar's character sketches and an actual reader's letter page! Leaving these in the monthly and not adding "extras" to the trade kind of runs contrary to the current trade methodology. The intent for this book is to bring in new readers to the monthly, a successful ploy, at least for this reader as I have picked up issue 8. Highly recommended.