They say clothes make the man, but in this case, they make a new hero, in Image's Tech Jacket.
Don:
Image's Eric Stephenson sent along a preview of the first two issues of a new sci-fi super-hero title, Tech Jacket. The title may put one in mind of the recent Jackie Chan/Jennifer Love Hewitt film, The Tuxedo, but it actually reminds me much more of DC's Silver Age Green Lantern.
Randy:
Tech Jacket is but the newest offering from writer Robert Kirkman, but it's the debut of artist E.J. Su. I've been anticipating this title, so I was glad to get a chance to look at the first two issues in black and white format.
Tech Jacket #s 1 & 2
published by Image Comics
written by Robert Kirkman
illustrated by E.J. Su
scheduled for release on Nov. 20
Don:
An alien race called the Geldarians are at war with the Kresh, and a conflict forces a Geldarian ship to crash-land on Earth. A teenager named Zack Thompson happens upon the wreckage, as well as a piece of technology that just won't let go of him. Meanwhile, his father is having troubles with shady characters at his hardware store, and on the Geldarian homeworld, it is decided the tech jacket is too dangerous to be in the hands of a primitive lifeform.
Kirkman's story is a fairly archetypical one. At this early point in the series, he explores some pretty familiar territory. Tech Jacket falls into the archetypical super-hero origin elements pretty neatly; it's like Spider-Man meets Green Lantern. Mind you, just because the book doesn't really offer anything new doesn't mean it's not entertaining. The sci-fi elements are well thought-out, and it's easy to relate to Zack's everyteen appeal.
Randy:
You mentioned in your intro the two influences that seemed most obvious to me, and there's elements of The Tuxedo (or at least, The Tuxedo trailer) and Green Lantern here. I'd throw in another one here, one that you hint at in mentioning Zack's appeal, and that's Spider-Man. While Kirkman hasn't ignored the down side of being welded into an alien weapon against your will, he does play up the cool factor of having powers and a cool secret. I also have to mention the relationship between Zack and his father, which is one of the most functional and regular relationships I've seen between a parent and child in comics.
The pacing on this one is unusually laid back, and that works very well in this two-issue installment. The first issue may not nab readers on its own, but it's worth sticking around for the second, because all the groundwork about the Tech Jacket, the alien civilization and Zack's personality and life is very important to the story. Indeed, in spending so much time fleshing out the details and the characters, Kirkman makes the reader feel for this new character.
Don:
Su's artwork strikes me as a cross between traditional manga visuals and Scott (The Flash) Kolins's more stark, detailed style; I'm looking forward to seeing it in color. I'm pleased to see Su manages to capture youth quite well; Zack and the other teens don't just look like slightly shorter adults. There's an innocence to them as well. The lettering is sharp as well; I love the dual caption approach to convey alien language.
Randy:
I was going to say that Su's art seemed a little simple and lacking in backgrounds, based on the first issue, but that seemed like a ridiculous thing to say when I saw the opening pages of issue two, set in the super high-tech core of an alien world's information-gathering system. Instead, it's clear that Su's work has a focus on clear storytelling, with plenty of attention to detail in setting the scene or conveying the technology, but dropping out the unnecessary backgrounds to focus the reader's attention on the character interaction or action in the foreground.
Don:
Overall, Kirkman and Su deliver a light, entertaining read that hints at greater complexities to come. It's a fairly standard but fun super-hero origin story that should appeal to younger readers as well. This would be an excellent introduction to the world of super-hero comics for kids come Christmas time.
For more information about Tech Jacket, visit
