Heart #1

Written by Blair Butler
Art by Kevin Mellon

I've heard of Blair Butler, but have never watched her on TV or the internet, and I'm not entirely sure of who she is or what she does, beyond knowing that it's something to do with comics reviews or journalism.  I have even less familiarity with Kevin Mellon, and I have absolutely no interest in mixed martial arts and cage fighting.

So why buy this comic, I'm sure you're wondering.  Basically, I like to give most Image mini-series the benefit of the doubt, because for the last number of years they have been giving us more winners than losers, and I am always on the look-out for a new favourite writer or artist, or a concept that hasn't been done in comics before.

I don't know if Heart is that book, but it is well-written, with some nice art.  Oren Redmond is an MMA fighter.  The book opens with one of his matches, which does not go as he expects.  From there, we flashback to Oren before he began fighting, and we learn why and how he got involved in this brutal and popular sport.

Really, that's all that happens in this issue.  There is no hint towards some sort of larger plot, but Butler's development of the character is such that I found myself interested in what was happening anyway, and am probably going to be back for the next issue.