Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
All Star Section Eight #1
DC Comics
Ennis, McCrea & Kalisz
"All-Star Section 8" dusts off some characters that Garth Ennis had some previous encounters with while writing "Hitman" many years ago. Fittingly, John McCrea joins him on this wacky, re-vistation of some of the stranger characters you'll find at DC Comics. This opening issue is a mixed bag that has a good introduction, a decent transition, but then struggles as it involves Batman. The book has potential but the opening issue is average by Garth Ennis standards.
The book begins with the leader of Section 8, Sixpack, as he describes the fantastical world that Section 8 inhabits. How they've saved the world countless times and bumped shoulders with the DC heavyweights. This sequence allows Ennis the chance to recap the members of Section 8 and to showcase some of their powers. We quickly switch to what appears to be Sixpack's alter ego, Sidney Speck.
The comic doesn't spend a lot of time on Speck. Just enough to reveal his super-hero trigger: alcohol. As a man in recovery, he accidentally comes to consume some and things go badly. As a result, Sixpack returns.
The rest of the comic is Sixpack trying to recruit his seven other members. Those that aren't dead return and a few others enter the fray. The team is short one member and the final few pages see Sixpack trying to recruit Batman.
The comic has a lot of charm and the oddness of the characters and the set-up provides a level of style to the book that sets it apart from other comics. Ennis pokes some fun at some Marvel characters, like Groot, and even pokes some fun at Batman. However, the comic doesn't really end with anything that propels this book into the next issue. There isn't a threat revealed, the Batman subplot doesn't get any resolution and the new team is introduced but left on the sidelines. It's possible that the mini-series is Sixpack chasing things that aren't real, such as a threat or the idea that Batman would join him, but it just doesn't make for a good ending to the opening issue.
McCrea is at his best in this comic book. He's got a couple of splash pages that are action-packed and extremely detailed. In the back half of the book he also takes the reader on a tour of the many Batman costumes over the years and he even mimics the poses from some of the classic issues. The artwork captures the quirky tone of the story but is consistently detailed and provides a story on its own.
"All-Star Section 8" is a strange collection of characters for a comic book. The creators are perfect for the comic book as they keep the book light, even when dealing with Batman. The artwork is fantastic as it is detailed and extremely vibrant. The book stumbles towards the end as the Batman subplot gets some action but doesn't see a resolution. Overall, this is a good read that will cater to a select audience. I would have liked to see a more powerful ending to set things up for the next issue. This is an average to good read. I look forward to the rest of the mini-series to see where this is heading.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
