The Mighty #5

Written by Peter Tomasi and Keith Champagne
Art by Chris Samnee
I haven't chosen to write about this book before now, because while I have been intrigued by the approach Tomasi and Champagne were taking, I was unsure as to whether or not this was a book I was going to stick with. Now I'm sure.

The first couple of issues focused on Gabriel Cole, who is promoted to Captain of Section Omega, an independent first response force, centred around Alpha One, the world's only superhero. Cole was rescued by Alpha One when he was a child, and he has spent his entire life with a severe case of hero worship. Since getting his promotion, Alpha and Cole hang out a lot, and become friends. It started as an interesting take on Superman-like characters, but became much more interesting at the end of the last issue, when it looked like Alpha One might not be a complete do-gooder, nor completely sane.

This issue has Cole starting to develop his own suspicions, and details the beginning of his investigation into his new friend's past, as he meets up with a couple of former Captains. The writers have been wise to keep this story on the slow burn. It allows us to share Cole's sense of dread and emotional confusion, as he is forced to question all he has ever believed in.

Chris Samnee has done a great job of taking over the art chores from Peter Snejbjerg. He's kept Snejbjerg's sense of design, giving the book a very European look.

I can't imagine that this is a book that is tearing up the sales charts, which is a shame, as it is a very well-crafted and accessible comic. It feels like it should be published by Wildstorm, and not DC, and I hope that it's only being held up against Wildstorm's metre stick when it comes to sales, until it hopefully builds an audience for itself, as I would like to see it stick around for a while.