Bigger Than Capes

Writer: Travis Beacham
Artist: Stephen Green
Colourist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Andworld Design
Cover: Stephen Green & Matt Hollingsworth
Editor: Amanda LaFranco
Production Design: Jillian Crab

This is the first issue in a prelude to an Audible series by Travis Beacham set in a world where due to a comet hitting the Earth and blotting out the sun, the citizens of Earth are now in a wintery hellscape. To make things worse, vampires have “come out to play” warrior style and they are NOT messing around.

The focus of the book is on a small group of survivors in the British countryside, in particular through the lens of one young woman (a vampire hunter in training) called Darcy. She’s tough, wanting to prove herself but still new to this vampire hunting malarky. All this in the first issue comes to a head when her team mates go silent on a mission and Darcy needs to find out what’s going on.

Before I continue, I know nothing about the Audible series so I’m coming into this from the lens of a new story with no other context except what I read. The one thing that surprised me about this comic is how much happens. The writing is well paced. I’ve read so many single issues in which barely anything happens and this is not that. You are given context for this world, a better understanding of several characters, conflict and even hints at what is to come. I didn’t know what to expect but I am happy to have found myself pleasantly surprised. It does make me intrigued for what the Audible series brings to the table.

The art is enjoyable, and reminds me of the early volumes of Young Justice such as in the trade World Without Grown-Ups. The colours used to show how bleak this world really is gets across a youthful perspective in a world gone to hell.

The story doesn’t reinvent the wheel but I had fun and I am glad for it. I will be curious to see how they use the vampires in their universe in future as we have already been introduced to two “types”. That would be my only potential gripe, that they’ve shown us the physical environment the humans now live in but less of the creatures they come into conflict with.

Want some engaging, young-adult style comic fun? I’d definitely go for this one.