Abbott #1 –
Boom! Studios
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Illustrated by Sami Kivelä
Colors by Jason Wordie
Letters by Jim Campbell
Cover by Taj Tenfold & Micaela Dawn
There’s been a lot of talk about the press lately. No matter what side of the argument you fall on, the art of the written word is certainly making a comeback in the last year or so. What was once looking like something that was becoming a part of our past, newspaper reporting seems to becoming more and more relevant again. This week, we will go back 40 or so years to a time where such a job may have been one of the most important. Let’s head to Detroit with Abbott #1 from Boom! Studios.
The story follows an African American reporter named Elena Abbott with the Detroit Daily in 1972. Historical accuracy certainly comes to play in this story, as things are not easy for Abbott in her job or as a black woman in the city. The reason I put it that way, is because that is very much a part of the narrative. Things are changing in the community, and the community wants to change how they are viewed and addressed. A brutal crime against the police, which I will not spoil for you, leads Abbott to a very strange investigation. As we get later on in the book, we find out that there is something much bigger going on and it may somehow be tied to her past. As she searches for answers, we slowly and slowly get to find out more about Abbott. What we see at the end is that this story may be taking a very different turn in the coming issues.
One good thing about this book is, we really got a good amount of character development for the main protagonist. Elena Abbott is a character you root for, and a character you could see really making a difference. I love that Ahmed focused on that, and the pride of the community in what she is doing. When you don’t live in a certain time period, it’s hard to understand what it was really like. I feel like Ahmed really did a lot to make the reader feel as if they were there. Kivelä does a masterful job with that as well, not only depicting the city, but dropping little subtleties for the reader to catch (possibly without even realizing it.) It also looked like a 70s comic, and that is a good thing. My one complaint is, I found myself wishing at the end that the story would have remained a simple crime story about a woman who is trying to save her community. I realize that may not seem like enough, but the first several pages of the book really made me crave that story towards the end. I doubt the book will get away from that, but I’m hoping the other aspect of the story doesn’t completely take center stage. This is a good character in a good story, so I hope the story remains more personal.
RATING: PICK UP