Suvudu Universe

SIDEKICK/BURN THE ORPHANAGE
Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Drawn by Tom Mandrake
Written by Daniel Freedman and Sina Grace, Drawn by Sina Grace
Published by Image Comics

Reviewed by Marc Mason

Two newbies from the Image crew…

I’ve not enjoyed much of JMS’ work over the years, though his other current Image book TEN GRAND has kept me entertained. Primarily, I’ve found his work on superhero books to be his weak spot, so I didn’t expect much from SIDEKICK #1. Thus, it was a bit of a shock to me how much I enjoyed it.

SIDEKICK introduces us to Flyboy, the sidekick of the Red Cowl. Like many superhero sidekicks, Flyboy struggles to be taken seriously, even when his partner gives him credit in front of the media. So Flyboy’s life is in for a number of shocks when Red Cowl is assassinated right before his eyes, leaving him very visibly, publicly, lost. Faking crimes, extorting prostitutes, spying on his ex… Flyboy isn’t doing well, and it only looks like it’s going to get worse.

A lot of what happens here, aside from a shock cliffhanger that isn’t very shocking, is setup, creating the downward spiral for Flyboy as he moves toward rock bottom. I like the idea of putting the character through his paces like this, and that was one of the really appealing things about the book: you can see the arc developing, and it looks like it’s going to be fun to watch. Throw in that it’s drawn by Tom Mandrake, one of the great unsung artists of the last twenty-five years, and it looks absolutely fantastic. With those two things going for it, this one has my interest.

I’ve loved both of Sina Grace’s Image projects to date; both L’IL DEPRESSED BOY and NOT MY BAG have been books that stepped away from the comics norm and done something different with the medium. That meant my curiosity was high regarding BURN THE ORPHANAGE: BORN TO LOSE #1. This time around, joined by co-writer Daniel Freedman, Grace dives into “fight comix.” The results are a bit of a mixed bag.

The story is pretty simple: an orphanage is burned to the ground, and a guy named Rock, who excels at beating the hell out of people, fights his way across the city to find the culprit. He’s aided and abetted by a couple of friends along the way.

That’s pretty much it.

Nothing wrong with that, of course. The idea here isn’t to create high art; it’s to give the reader a rollicking good time on the page, and the creators certainly do their best there. The pages are filled with energy, and there’s definitely some gusto to the fight sequences. Grace shows he’s more than a one-trick pony as an artist, and that’s great.

At the same time, it feels a little repetitive after a while, and I found myself wishing it was maybe a smidge deeper, because I know that both Grace and Freedman (UNDYING LOVE) are capable of that depth.

So am I complaining about the book not being what I wanted it to be? Maybe. But that’s the curse of potential, isn’t it? Still, from an objective standpoint, it’s also a perfectly fine, perfectly fun read, and you will get your money’s worth from buying it.