REVIEW – Inferior Five #1

Inferior Five #1 - DC Comics

Written by Keith Giffen & Jeff Lemire

Pencils by Keith Giffen

Inks by Michelle Delecki

Colors by Hi-Fi

Letters by Rob Leigh

DC Comics seems to have found something with these maxi-series.  It's not an imprint, not always a spinoff, but a home for stories that either aren't continuity or just on the fringe of it.  In the wake of the invasion on Metropolis, there is a town that needs saving (even if they don't know it yet.)  Can some kids save the day?  Let's find out who the Inferior Five really are.

We end up in the post invasion town of Dangerfield, Arizona, which almost seems like a refuge for those leaving whatever part of the invasion struck them the most.  For one young boy and his mothers, it was Metropolis.  Problem is, there is some weird stuff going on.  We also find out in the first couple of pages that this might not exactly be a safe haven either.  Problem is, it seems like only the kids are clued in to just how weird everything is.  One of them seems particularly clued in, but another could be just finding out that something bad is going on.  In between there are just some strange goings on, mixed with what feels like everyday small town life.  When I say small town, I mean the kind of "oblivious to what's happening outside of where you are" kind of small town.  Who is there to save the day and what/who they need to be saved from is kind of the key sticking point here.

Keep in mind, this story does have twelve issues.  I had to remind myself of that, because there is a bit of a slow burn here.  Readers get enough information to help them understand what's going on, also who some of the main players will be going forward.  To me, there were also a few moments of "am I supposed to know this already?"  One minute I feel like I'm jumping into something brand new, and other moments I felt like I was missing a piece of the story.  Sure the Invasion brings it all back together, that's the connection, but there are some characters in the shadows that we are going to need answers about pretty quickly.  The who matters much more than the why to me at this point, and it's making it more difficult for me to connect with the story.  There are still some emotional sticking points with at least one character, so I'm interested, but things just feel a bit uneven. I do like the style of the art as it relates to the story.  Given the setting you want things to look off-balance visually.  What I mean is, there are moments where things looks crisp and clean, and other times where the art really makes it look like a bomb just went off.  So I'm down with the art style, but I really need this second issue to start filling in some gaps or this one might get lost in the shuffle for me.  I'm optimistic, my caution bulb is definitely lit, but I'm going to keep going.

RATING:  PICK UP (TRY A COUPLE MORE)