Days Missing #1

Written by Phil Hester
Art by Frazer Irving

There were four very good reason to pick this up, in ascending order of importance:
4. I usually like the books I've bought from Archaia Studios.
3. Phil Hester is a strong writer.
2. Frazer Irving is an amazing artist.
1. It's $0.99 for a full-length book.

Taking all of these things into account, it was a guaranteed purchase, and it's a good comic.

Basically, the Phantom Stranger is now a doctor or something, and has been around on Earth since before the dinosaurs, and has been helping organisms along. Somewhere along the way, he chose to back mankind over all other life forms (probably some type of speciesism, as he looks like us). In this issue, he's in Swaziland, where a new virus that makes Ebola look like chicken pox is on the loose. The Phantom Stranger (sorry, the Steward) gets involved, and saves the day.

It's a basic concept and execution, but it's an enjoyable comic. Future issues will be set in different time periods, and will feature different creative teams. Hester and Irving were a good choice for this first issue, although I would rather see them working on Firebreather and Gutsville, respectively.