I remember when reading the Michelinie Iron Man and thinking, "Man, James Rhodes is a badass." Really enjoyed the character, until he was mucked up so badly (as were so many) during the 90s era of Marvel. After reading issue one of The Crew, my thought was "Man, James Rhodes is a badass again." Priest is setting this up as something of a street team title (at least I think he is), but in this first issue the story is all about Rhodes, and it's a great military/vigilante story with some of the best artwork I've ever seen from Joe Bennett.
To be honest, I've sort of fallen away from Black Panther, as new character Kasper Cole and the increasingly intricate stories got to be too complicated and unwieldy and it wasn't really what I was looking to the book for. So I'm glad to see Priest moving on to a new book where he can get something of a fresh start, taking the elements of the current Panther that I like (a more street level approach and the character of Kasper Cole) without having to deal with the trappings of the Black Panther series. The approach here has been described in interviews as "Three Kings," but honestly it reminds me more of the vigilante and tough cop movies of Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson, although written with considerably more intelligence.
Priest's distinctive and often funny dialogue and style is to be found in The Crew. Rhodes' cynical, world-weary attitude comes complete with a biting sense of humor, and I thought that Priest did a great job showing a guy who is down on his luck and has been beaten up by the world, but who hasn't been turned into a loser as a result. When he sets his mind to doing what he thinks is right, it's impressive to watch, and nothing, not gangs, police or even the NSA can dissuade him. The other characters on the periphery can't make quite as much of an impression in the face of such a strong personality, but I am interested in seeing more of Josiah X thanks to his brief but memorable appearance in the issue. Kasper Cole's own vigilante behavior also makes him a natural addition to Rhodes's team eventually, although those who haven't read Black Panther may find themselves a little confused about who the hell he is, since he only gets a couple of panels in the issue.
The feel of The Crew is very much a street-level, dark feel, and while that comes down from the writer, it is very much informed by the artwork. Joe Bennett seems to have incorporated something of an Eduardo Risso feel into his work for this title, with some stylized character designs and an attention to guns and flashy clothes and jewelry co-existing alongside urban squalor. There's also a terrific sense of movement in the action scenes, with a great scene of James Rhodes taking on a street gang that is a big part of my "James Rhodes is a badass" vibe from the issue.
If you've heard all the praise for Black Panther but just couldn't get into that character, or didn't want to jump onto a book so far into its run, The Crew is your chance to get on at the ground floor. It's a completely new set of characters with strong ties to the Marvel Universe, and it has a style that you won't find anywhere else in Marvel's super-hero universe.
