Marvel's new Tsunami line of titles gets under way with this first ongoing series, and while I was looking forward to McKeever's Iron Giant riff, I never thought it would be as good as this. While the premise is a familiar one and this issue's plot is fairly predictable, McKeever grabs the reader's attention with some well-fleshed-out characters and genuine dialogue, while the folks at the Udon studio impress with bright, crisp artwork that's not as manga-esque as one might expect.
Juston Seyfert lives with his dad and younger brother alongside the salvage yard his father runs, and he and his subling enjoy tinkering with the scrap and building their very own battlebots. But while Juston is the king of backyard engineering, at school, his life as a sophomore leaves a lot to be desired. He and his friends are picked on by the jocks, and ignored by the girls... until Juston happens to catch the eye of a playful young woman. Meanwhile, back at home, an advanced microchip and uncharacteristic crater near the scrapyard pose an odd mystery for Juston.
The manga influence that's apparent in all of Udon's output is to be found here as well, but it's not as prominent as what I've come to expect from work like Agent X. I'm reminded of Steve (Mek) Rolston's style here. There's a light, cartoony tone to it, but there's an impressive array of detail to be found in the artwork as well. The colors are varied and textured, and they reinforce the more grounded aspects of the book. I have to admit, though, that the Sentinel images on the cover and in the latter part of the book are quite creepy and help to establish a touch of tension. It serves as a real hook to get the reader to come back for subsequent issues.
McKeever injects a bit of real-world relevance into this debut issue through the discussion Juston has with his friends. Juston's friend Matt is an angry kid, and he gives voice to angry ideas that haunt Western society at the moment. He touches upon terrorist fears and high-school violence, and adds a more grave tone to the otherwise everyday angst of high school.
The real strength of the book are the characters. We really get a strong sense of who Juston and his brother Chris. I love how Juston teases his brother, but he also takes on the role of protector. Chris is a bit sickly, and helping to take care of a younger sibling can really alter and strengthen that relationship. McKeever touches upon the Seyfert family's dysfunctional history -- ie., Juston and Chris's mom's exodus -- quite well. Of course, the strong characterization comes as no surprise to those of us who enjoyed McKeever's high-school drama comic, The Waiting Place.
