Rough Riders #1 –
AfterShock Comics
Written by Adam Glass
Art by Patrick Olliffe
Colors by Gabe Eltaeb
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Cover by Patrick Olliffe & Gabe Eltaeb
You think politics are tough now, think about late 19th into the early 20th century. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, the rich were getting richer and the poor were in more peril than in years past every time they set foot on the job site. In Rough Riders #1 by writer and creator, Adam Glass, one man set out to change that piece by piece.
Theodore Roosevelt may have been the closest thing the American people have ever had to Batman in a political figure. He had money, he had confidence and there wasn’t a man alive that didn’t know he was a badass. In this first issue, we see Teddy trying to do it all himself, which created quite a burden on his shoulders. Everything changes when he’s called into a meeting with some very familiar and influential faces. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I’ll tell you that there appears to be a secret to one of the events that was the catalyst of the Spanish-American War. They want Roosevelt to get to the bottom of things, but he knows he can’t do it alone. He begins to assemble a team, and the issue ends with him finding his first and teasing who will be the second.
One of the things I really liked about this issue is how they didn’t rush the formation of the team on the cover. The linear story structure by Glass really allowed the story to flow in the right order, and the way the book ended tells me that both the writer and publisher are behind this story for the long haul. The portrayal of Roosevelt himself was done very well, from his personality to the gritty visuals by Olliffe. You could read this book and say that there may be some inaccuracies concerning some of the other players involved in this issue from history (when you read it, you’ll know who I’m talking about.) Do not go into this book with that mindset, this is not the History Channel. Remember that this is a story, and for my money, it’s off to a great start. Shining a new and different light on a major event in American history, with some of the most recognizable names of the time period, definitely makes Rough Riders a must read.
RATING: PULL / BUY