Two-in-One Review: the forgotten #1 Don MacPherson and Randy Lander review and preview an upcoming new independent title from Fintan Studios called the forgotten. Don: So I check my mailbox the other day, and there's this small envelope. And lo and behold, it's full of comic-book goodness... actually, it was full of mini-comic goodness. The guys at Fintan Studios sent along a preview of their debut comic, which will be in stores in April. Randy, why don't you tell the good folks about it? The comic, not your little lactation problem. Randy: Dude, you were the one who couldn't hold his milk. Kept pushing the glass away and demanding "more whiskey, damn it!" Ahem. Anyway, Fintan Studios makes a lot of crazy promises about their premiere book, the forgotten: on-time shipping is a big enough hurdle, but to promise great stories and fantastic art, right off the bat, from a new and untested company? You can imagine my surprise when they lived up to every one of them in this ashcan-sized preview edition of the forgotten #1. the forgotten #1 preview published by Fintan Studios written by Evan Young & Jareth Grealish pencilled by John Forcucci inked by Mostafa Moussa & James Taylor letters by Jack Nolan cover art by Tom Derenick Don: When I sat down to read this partial preview of the first issue of the forgotten, I honestly wasn't expecting all that much. Sure, I figured there'd be a lot of storytelling potential and passion, as is usually the case with tyro self-publishing efforts, but there's a lot more to this book. This is a professional-level effort, and while I think the creators connect the property unnecessarily to the super-hero genre, they offer up an entertaining, well-rendered read. Randy: I agree with almost everything you said. Except the part about connecting it unnecessarily to the super-hero genre. While I'm always wary of super-heroes creeping in where they're not wanted, I thought the super-heroic elements of this one were very important to the story. Leaving aside that it makes our lead something more than just the stereotypical hard-boiled P.I., it allows the creative team to tie in a story about a student pursuing some investigative journalism, which gives the book a whole other aspect besides the noir crime side. Don: A mysterious man makes his way through Philadelphia, determined to prove that the son of an old friend is innocent of the murder of which he's been accused. But this man has an edge that the disinterested police and lazy defence attorney don't: he can make it so people don't remember him, even after he's roughed them up a bit. Meanwhile, student Sara Dawning decides to track down a 1970s super-hero who's disappeared from the public eye, and her research leads her to a small newspaper dedicated to the exploits of heroes and villains. Randy: If I didn't know better, I'd think that Young and Grealish had cooked up this story especially for me. It's got elements of organized crime, vigilante justice, super-hero history and investigative journalism, all in one tightly plotted story. The elements are all right up my alley, and the execution is top notch. They have captured the narration style of a private detective perfectly, and their dialogue, while perhaps not quite as distinctive as work by Bendis or Azzarello, is smooth and believable. Don: Forcucci's work on this book makes for an impressive debut. There's no doubt about it; this is going to get him noticed by major publishers. His stuff here reminds me of the efforts of such comics artists as Derec Aucoin, Leonard Kirk and Terry Dodson. I like the way he plays with perspective, and the mist effect given off by the main character is pulled off nicely. Randy: I was sold on this book by the preview of Tom Derenick's cover, but a little nervous that I had no idea what the interior looked like. Happily, the interior art, as you note, is quite impressive. I got the same general feel that you did, judging by the artists you name, and that speaks to Forcucci's ability to define faces for various characters. In addition, though his storytelling is fairly simple to follow, I was impressed that he has no fear of breaking panels or shifting the camera around. I'm a little nervous to hear that there will be a different penciller for the second issue, but given how well Fintan Studios has delivered on the first issue, I'm inclined to trust them. Don: My only real complaint about the visuals is that the title character's narrative captions -- white text on black backgrounds -- is rather difficult to read. The text isn't completely obscured, but it certainly interrupts the flow of the story. Randy: You're right that these captions were sometimes difficult to read, but I did think it was a good way to set the narration apart from the rest of the dialogue and descriptions. I also think that part of the problem comes from the smaller size and different printing quality seen in an ashcan edition, and I expect that the full-size comic will be much clearer. I also think that letterer Jack Nolan deserves credit for his work, which is just as professional as the rest of the package. Don: The story, which boasts an odd but entertaining private-eye riff, is quite engrossing. The script reads somewhat like a one-hour television drama... fortunately, a clever, interesting one. The main character comes off as more than a cliched, grim hero. Mind you, the coincidence that will no doubt link him to Sara is a bit hard to swallow, but it's a necessary plot device to get the book moving along. For more information about the forgotten, visit www.fintanstudios.com/. 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