I've actually had the chance to read the first two issues of Tech Jacket, so I have the benefit of knowing what's coming next, and probably the first thing I should mention is that the second issue is much stronger than the first. Kirkman and Su turn in a first issue that sets up the basic cast in bare bones fashion, but doesn't really give a lot of information about any of the aspects of the series, and so the book ends up looking like a lot of "been there, done that" material so far. There are hints throughout of stronger potential, though, and you'll have to trust me when I tell you that the second issue delivers on that potential a lot more. But for now, the truth is that this isn't the strong debut I was hoping for.
Tech Jacket wears its influences on its sleeve, ranging from Spider-Man to The Tuxedo (or at least, The Tuxedo trailer) to Green Lantern. This first issue, especially, plays out by introducing Zack as the lovable loser type, not quite as put-upon as Peter Parker but certainly not the most popular kid in school either. And though it's mostly just hinted at in this issue, the relationship between Zack and his father is one of the most functional and regular relationships I've seen between a parent and child in comics.
The problem is the pacing, which is very laid back and works well in a two-issue (or trade paperback, presumably) sized chunk but seems a little slow for a single issue. It almost seems like Kirkman spent a little too much time in space with the alien creators of the Tech Jacket, given that their role is mostly to provide Zack with his super powers and little else. Establishing their war, their mission and their general culture could have been done in less space, and perhaps given a little more room to show off Zack's life before the Jacket or a little more after he got it.
Just as Kirkman's script doesn't seem to have quite got the rhythm yet in this first issue, E.J. Su's art hasn't hit its peak yet either. His work has a manga influence, particularly in the expressions of the characters, that I find charming, and his design of the jacket (as shown on the cover) is pretty nifty, but the work in this first issue seems a bit sparse in terms of backgrounds. In addition, the cosmic action sequence seems a little dry, but perhaps that's because it's viewed mostly from a long range and the interchangeable nature of the protagonists makes it hard to work out exactly what's going on anyway.
There's a neat idea and plenty of potential here, but so far the execution is by-the-numbers and overly familiar. I can attest that the creators are finding their groove more with the second issue, and will presumably continue to do so, but as the hook for new readers, this first issue should have been a great deal stronger.
