Comic Review: Caped #1

Caped #1

Story - Josh Lobis and Darin Moiselle

Art - Yair Herrera

Colors - Renato Faccini

Letters - Johnny Lowe

Edits - Ian Brill

Covers - Saumin Patel, Joe Quinnones

"We save them! So they can save the day!” Think your boss is tough? Try working for a superhero! While your boss is out fighting crime, you get the pleasure of scheduling public appearances, getting the dry-cleaning done, and keeping a tidy secret lair. Millions would kill to be a superhero's personal assistant like Jimmy Lohman. Unfortunately, he's not one of them. A story of capes, cowls and Blackberrys.

Characters

The Edge

Jimmy Lohman

Imagine a series in which Alfred or Jarvis or Amadeus Cho was the main character and Batman, Iron Man, or Hercules was the supporting cast. What do they think of the heroes they assist? What menial, degrading jobs are they asked to do which aren't depicted in the heroes' main titles? That is what Caped is all about.

The personal assistant, the main character, is Jimmy Lohman. Jimmy came to Capitol City to become a reporter, but can't find a job, until, at an interview, Grant Godfried bursts in demanding a new assistant, his 28th assistant. Jimmy jumps at the job. He quickly learns that he's not just a reporter's assistant. He's a superhero's assistant, too. The Edge's assistant. "The hardest working superhero in the business today."

The Edge is a Batman analogue with equipment, Edgecaves, and Edgemobiles...Edge-everything! It'd be cool if, to leave the Edgecave, he leapt off the Edge Ledge, and to return he drove through the Edge Hedge...Anyway, he's got some kind of powers, though unspecified at this time. So imagine Jimmy Olsen becoming a photo-journalist in Gotham City and DC put out, Batman's Pal Jimmy Olsen. Those are our characters, and it's great fun.

Character Rating: 1 Worm. The naivite and the darkness combined is a pairing the DC should have had fun with. But Boom! Studios is there for us with Caped!

Plot

We first meet both Jimmy and the Edge on a train where Craig Gemini is holding the mayor of Capitol City at gunpoint to get his brother Irv Gemini released from jail. The Edge is late because personal assistant #27 gave him bad directions. The Edge's bad day ends up with the train wrecked and the mayor dead. Time for a new assistant.

But the focus is on Jimmy as he begins hunting for a job. He's eager and willing and jumps at the first opportunity he encounters, being Grant Godfried's assistant. He immediately carted off to League headquarters where Irv Gemini has escaped. Will Jimmy be able to handle being a superhero's assistant? Only Caped will tell.

Plot Rating: 2 Worms. It's a fun story with a dark side. I can't wait for more.



Art

The art seems a little flat, a little too dependent on dark lines. It's not bad, just not my taste.

Art Rating: 1 1/2 Worms

Overall Rating 4 1/2 Worms. Strongly recommended for fans of superhero deconstruction and dark stories with a humorous twist.