Public Relations #1 (Originally ran on 10/5/2015)

Review: The comics industry needs to be put on notice because Devil’s Due/First Comics are now back and proving themselves a huge threat with books like this one. It’s fun, creative, unique and extremely surprising in how it involves the reader’s imagination. Matthew and Dave really bring something special here and that awe and wonder and mixed with this whole corporate opening is just what the doctor ordered.

Immediately we are introduced to Dan Clover and his team. Dan has started up a public relations firm and everyone on board the plane is working for him and the introductions are simple, clear and very succinct. But how did they get here is the real question. What events transpired that enabled Dan to get his company started and bring these folks on board.

We go back four months and see a much less confident Dan as he struggles to come to terms with his crush on Threnody Dark. I like the way circumstances kind of find a way of presenting themselves. Unexpected relationships can be formed through the most unique options and that Threnody finds his invite and two first class tickets to Sardinia and agrees to go as his date sets the stage in my mind for the beginning of his growth as a character.

The family dynamic here is utterly fantastic as we meet Dan’s mother, Scarlet and well she’s one of those tv/movie mothers that you love, want to know but never want to have. She’s deliciously jaded, honest and full of inappropriate behaviour, just the kind of personality that we all enjoy seeing just for the quips and one liners. I’m going to stress again that the characterization here is just fantastic. Getting to really know these characters and empathize and relate to them is what keeps the reader coming back and the guys are doing this perfectly.

Once arriving in Sardinia Dan and Threnody’s experience are like night and day. She’s laid back, easy going and just in it for the fun while Dan’s uptight, nervous and just a bundle of nerves ready to pop. They make this great odd couple and you see that could benefit from being around each other to find that balance or learn from each other. This is the kind of writing that we love in our shows and what’s makes them successful and it’s going to do the same thing right here in this series.

We do learn a few things about the country of Sardinia, and not because Dan did his research but because Threnody did. Suddenly I feel like the cutthroat corporate world meets the cartoon world of Dungeons and Dragons and this creates that completely new, fresh and unique book that for me has this huge appeal. For a first issue we see the results and we learn the beginnings of how and the writing, story, characterization, and sheer audacity here is what I live for in wha
t I read.

David brings this to life visually really nicely. It’s got some really nice sharp focus elements mixed in with some nice classic comic book style art. There’s great emotion, feelings and you really get the mood and feel of the characters. He is able to take the words bring them to life and make it seem like he’s got this perfect understanding of what this world is how it should be and that his creations were what the story was written around. This kind of synergy isn’t something you find often either.

This is something you need to look for. With Devil’s Due/First hitting the convention circuit you find it easily enough if your shoppe isn’t carrying it. Charming, unique and full of verve this is a 5 Star book!

Public Relations #1
Devil’s Due/First Comics 2015
Written by Matthew Sturges & Dave Justus
Illustrated by David Hahn
Coloured by Hi-Fi
Reviewer: Steven Leitman