For the second half of FutureDude’s Small Press Spotlight we’re looking at the first issue of “Brainstorm,” with the added bonus of some behind-the-scenes details of its creation.
Imagine if the US military secretly developed a system to control weather patterns. Now imagine it goes horribly wrong. At its heart, “Brainstorm” #1 is the start of a classic disaster epic. The main focus of the story is split between Cale Issacs, the arrogant creator of the weather-controlling technology who’s bitter about needing military funding, and General Davis, the over eager project leader who wants to pushing the technology to its limits ASAP. After one successful trial, Isaacs is fired and Davis moves forward with a much riskier venture. Those two aren’t the whole cast, of course. Like any other good disaster adventure, “Brainstorm” includes subplots that make the story feel more whole. In this case, there’s a meteorologist who’s baffled by the odd weather patterns and two reality TV stars who stumble upon the technology in action.
There were a lot of cooks involved in the creation of this plot. There are three people credited for the story (Jeffrey Morris, Kieran Morris & Ian Morris), two writers, and two story consultants (Dennis Calero and Paul Douglas). This serves as proof the multiple-writer TV-like approach can produce quality on par with comics made by just one or two creators. Douglas, who is also credited as a science consultant, is a meteorologist who keeps the story grounded in fact when it comes to scenarios like perpetual storms or detonating nuclear bombs inside hurricanes. After a basic outline for narrative and visual look of the miniseries was hammered out by the three Morrises, it was handed off to Calero, who returned some rough layouts. As he finished the pages, Jeffrey Morris and Livingston wrote out dialogue to match the art.
The end results of all these contributions are some rather neat moments of characterization. It would have been easier to let the masked soldiers operating the new machinery be faceless and bland, but instead they’re allowed to show some emotion. They enjoy what they’re doing, and this seemingly minor moment early in the issue completely changes the way later events come across. By humanizing the grunts, it makes their poor choices sympathetic and relatable. On the flip side, the corrosive personality of Dr. Isaacs is a great compliment to him being correct. It doesn’t matter how sound his reasoning is – the guy’s a jerk, and people ignore his advice to spite him. The sum of these parts is a comic exploring compelling questions instead of setting an author’s voice against generic strawmen.
Calero became a part of the “Brainstorm” team by volunteering. He had heard through the grapevine about the work FutureDude was looking for an artist for a sci-fi title, and his previous work on “Star Trek” and “X-Men” earned him the job. He opted to handle all the chores – pencils, inks, and colors – because it gave him more control and let everything merge into a more cohesive whole. He also liked the creative method for the book, which let him choose which parts of the story were the most visually exciting and build the page around them.
While he did a good job all around, there are two aspects of Calero’s work in this book that really stand out. First and foremost are his storms:
A big element to “Brainstorm” is weather. Big, violent weather. For the story to be effective, the tornado pictured above and a hurricane later in the issue needed to convey the overwhelming sense of awe these storms can inspire in real life. His pictures may not make you want to go shelter in a basement, but they do emphasize the scale involved and highlight the hubris of anyone trying to control them. Kudos also go out to letterers Cortland Bechtell & Fredrick Haugen for the fading sound effect, which is an excellent touch.
The second area where Calero excelled was in his facial expressions. It can be hard to explain the nuance he fits into some panels without context, but take a look at this image of arrogant scientist Cale Isaacs:
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The project is a success. Everyone one is cheering except for Isaacs, and the downcast glance lets you know this guy isn’t just sad. He’s incredibly disappointed, and there’s an element of introspective loneliness because either no one cares or no one understands. “Brainstorm” #1 is packed with expressions as thoughtful as this one, but which can’t be described with just a small excerpt. You’ll have to read it to fully appreciate them.
As a final note on the art, when asked if General Davis was modeled after actor Idris Elba…
…all Calero would say is “I’m a big movie fan.”
Overall, this is a very solid outing for FutureDude, and manages to succeed in what it attempts to do. If you’re a fan of science-fiction or disaster epics, “Brainstorm” #1 will leave you satisfied. On the off chance your local shop doesn’t have the issue on the shelves, you can still buy physical and digital copies from the FutureDude website.
