Spiritus #1 –
Vault Comics
Written & Designed by Tim Daniel
Art by Michael Kennedy
Letters by Lauren Norby
It’s not easy to be the new kid, we’ve all experienced that before. Now try being a new publisher at one of the peaks in the history of nerd culture. Sometimes having great books and great content still can’t push you to the top and help you get noticed. While I was getting ready to go to San Diego Comic-Con, I discovered Vault Comics. They displayed a lot of passion for their books, and had a good message, so I thought I’d give them a shot. Let’s check out Spiritus #1.
This story follows a woman named Kinju Dayal, who has been imprisoned for a crime that she says she didn’t commit. In this future, the punishment for crimes has changed in a very drastic way. I will not spoil what that is, as I believe, the book’s biggest “wow factor” moment. Let’s just say you would not want to break the law in this society. She’s given a chance to save herself from this fate, but it means venturing into some very unknown territory. There is a very shaky trust element here too, that is certainly palpable. We get a lot about what’s going on in the world and who is responsible, but still plenty more questions beyond that. I guess you could say there is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this book but, at the same time, it is a bit predictable even in a limited issue series.
For my first Vault Comics book, I’d say this is a solid start. I would have liked a bit more character development, but I also get the impression that we will get it more as the series going on. There is a bit of a danger there though, as we do only have five issues of this run. I think Daniel has done a good job at creating a different spin on a familiar sci-fi story, and has me invested in the main character in a very District 9 kind of way. The art has a very dystopian vibe, that almost serves as a soundtrack of just how this world has changed and sets the mood. While I’m not jumping out of my chair for this one, it definitely has me interested and makes me want to read more. If Issue 2 steps things up, I could easily see adding this to your pull box.
RATING: PICK UP