Nonplayer #1

By Nate Simpson

Usually, I'm pretty skeptical about the hype that is generated by the comics industry.  The internet is rife with fanboyish proclamations about how the newest thing is the greatest thing ever (except, of course, when it's being actively hated on), and the comics companies would not have to worry about declining sales if they got a dime for every time they announced that a new storyline would 'change everything forever'.  And so, when the hype machine started gearing up for Nonplayer, another new series from Image by a little to unknown creator, I was prepared to be underwhelmed, despite the lovely preview art I saw in Previews a while back.

I'm very glad to be proven wrong here.  Nonplayer is as good as everyone is saying it is.  The series opens with a long sequence set in a Savage Land/Skartaris type environment, with knights riding dinosaurs, elves, and warrior women riding flying cat things.  It quickly becomes apparent that this is not a sword and sorcery comic, but is instead a virtual reality book.  Our main character, Dana, is a computer prodigy underemployed at a tamale shop, who spends all her time in her computer worlds.  The book is set in the future, so we aren't limited by current technology, giving Simpson plenty of space to create an interesting world.  Most of this issue is taken up by setting up the characters and their relationships, and so I'm not sure where the story is going, but the worlds are interesting, and I like Dana and her friend.

While the story here is well-written, it is Simpson's artwork that is going to draw the most attention.  His pages are highly detailed and lushly coloured.  His work reminds me of Geof Darrow and Rebekah Isaacs, which is a very good thing.  This book is gorgeous, and is complimented with pin-ups by Brandon Graham, Ben Templesmith, and Moritat.

I am a little concerned that there hasn't been a second issue solicited yet, but I believe that Simpson deserves all the hype he's received, and wish him success with this title.