ComicList Critiques by Charles LePage

Contract #1 and #2
A First Salvo
Madeiros,Shell, and a variety of artists

Despite what the cover of Contract #1 might lead you to believe, this is not a series about a well endowed woman who wears tight t shirts. It's actually a well written and drawn comic, probably closer to a good Image comic book than anything else I can think of.

The Stellar Rangers, a trio of space bounty hunters/private detectives/mercenaries, are hired to perform a variety of tasks, including rescuing a kidnapped child. Led by Jessie Garrett, they have a tendency to break a lot of things and people and generally make a big mess. They also always seem to be a step ahead of anyone they are facing.

Overall, I found both issues to be well written and drawn. The subject matter isn't the kind that would bring me back each month (violence, trans gender surgery, sexual holograms, and so on), but I tend to not be in the mainstream of things these days when it comes to comic books, so it's very possible Contract will appeal to the readers of ComicList. It would be interesting to see the main three characters continue to develop beyond their initial "here's a brief explanation of who they are, and off we go" stages. For instance, why was Stellar Rangers formed? Why did Jess pick her two partners? And so on.

You can read more about Contract and other First Salvo books at http://www.firstsalvo.com/


Contract #2 (of 3)

Contract #3 (of 3)