Good news -- those who didn't read the first Terra Obscura limited series by this same creative team can still follow along with this new plotline. Peter Hogan offers up an accessible script. More good news -- the story is made up of an odd mix of super-hero satire and an Authority- or Planetary-like feel. The bad news (you knew it was coming) -- the pace of the plot is excruciatingly slow, and the visuals too often revolve around cleavage as opposed to an effort to foster a sense of wonder. I'm intrigued, yes, but surprised by the book's weaknesses as well. Fortunately, this is just the first of six issues; there's plenty of chances for the book to grow and improve.
Tom Strange has taken over responsibility for administering the digital consciousness of his one-time ally, the Black Terror, and together, they've managed to aid in the effort to maintain peace in America. Strange is about to go out on a date with the exotic jungle heroine, Pantha, but a summons from Washington, D.C., cuts it short. As Strange and Pantha head off to consult with the Oracle, the government's precog, three other heroes and allies thwart the Clock's latest heist in progress.
Yanick Paquette's line art portrays these heroes as the dynamic figures they are, and the overall style the artist employs here reminds me of a cross between the works of Kevin Nowlan and Adam Hughes. Unfortunately, a little too much of Hughes's approach seems to have rubbed off on Paquette. There's plenty of cheesecake to be found in this book; there's are three female heroines in the story, and the artist emphasizes their sexuality above everything else. The female figures posed so as to place emphasis on their breasts; it's obvious and unnecessary, and it distracts from the story.
The plot really isn't introduced in this issue until the final two pages. Until that cliffhanger revelation, the plot meanders; it feels as though the issue is padded out, stretching a four- or five-issue story into six episodes. Furthermore, Strange and Pantha's casual reaction to a car mysteriously turning up in the hero's headquarters is dismissive of a rather strange occurrence.
What I did enjoy about the book was the maturity of the characters. They discuss relationships and the politics of this world (even though they are a little on the weird side). The script boasts a reflective tone. That mature side of the book, along with the dark atmosphere and the mystery that pops up by issue's end, is enough to draw the reader into this world of super-heroes.
