It’s tough being a new comic book character. The established A-listers sure aren’t going anywhere. Even when they kick the bucket, we all know it won’t be for long. The likes of Superman and Batman were here before us and probably will be here after us too. The newbies on the other hand? No job security. Here today and gone tomorrow, a lot of them easily lost in the shuffle. It’s important to make a strong impression right out of the gate. In her new mini-series, Aero is one of the latest characters hoping to leave a strong impression on readers.
Written by Zhou Liefen, Greg Pak
Illustrated by Keng, Pop Mhan
Lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Colored by Keng, Federico Blee
CATCH THE WAVE! ALL NEW ONGOING SERIES! The breakout stars of WAR OF THE REALMS: AGENTS OF ATLAS debut in an oversized team-up book! Get ready for the English language debut of the first appearance of AERO, the high-flying Shanghaiese superheroine created for Marvel by Zhou Liefen and Keng! And in a brand new story written by PLANET HULK writer Greg Pak, Aero teams up with WAVE, Marvel’s newest Filipina superheroine! What strange forces have turned the buildings of Shanghai into monstrous golems? And what is the SECRET ORIGIN OF WAVE?
I was excited for the Aero mini-series when it was announced. Again, newbies can get lost in the shuffle. Getting your own mini is definitely a step in the right direction at least. Furthermore, Lei Ling might not have gotten the best showcase in New Agents of Atlas. Don’t get me wrong, she is prominently featured but that book is pretty jam-packed with a lot of different characters to juggle. The spotlight is firmly on Amadeus Cho and then you have the other Agents of Atlas in supporting roles with the War of the Realms craziness on top of all that.
The main story, ‘Protector of the City’ is all about Lei Ling though. I do mean all about her too, there’s hardly anyone else here. Those two menacing figures she shares space with on the cover? Never show up. Her boyfriend and secretary are clearly afterthoughts, each getting maybe half a sentence of dialogue. Even the monster she faces in the book is tied to her, it’s a building she designed brought to life. This issue never actually explains how that came to be…
In “Aero” #1, readers get a better sense of who Lei Ling is. The story is told almost exclusively through her internal dialogue. It’s clear that she takes great pride in her work as an architect and has a deep love for her city. She loves every building, every brick of Shanghai. She’s creative not just in her work life but her superhero life as well. Aero has unique ways of using her powers beyond just the typical wind blasts. Lei can taste danger approaching by the difference in the air. She uses her air current to give her a sort of sonar.
Aero’s personality reflects her powers or vice versa. She’s free as a bird when she’s up in the air, light and unburdened. That freedom gives Lei a certain cockiness, utterly confident that she can do it all and have it all. That in particular is familiar territory in superhero comics. Heroes are constantly juggling it all, trying to have it all. Will Aero get it? Only a few, like the Fantastic Four, actually do. More, like Spider-Man, will always be struggling for it.
The art in ‘Protector of the City’ isn’t really my cup of tea. I can’t call all of it bad but I’m not much into the anime/manga style that Keng has. In this style, all the drama and emotion is really dialed up a notch because the expressions are over the top. The comically big eyes and small mouths, pointy noses, that single bead of nervous sweat that the characters get…it all takes me out of it. That’s a personal bias and kind of on me though, for whatever reason I didn’t clock the interior art might reflect the cover. You live and you learn.
Continued belowI will say that the art could more clearly display Aero’s powers. Comics are a visual medium. Without the dialogue, the glowing hands and the way the wind blasts are drawn kind of make it look like she has energy powers instead. I did like that the anime speed lines and blurring effect makes for kinetic fight scenes against the monster. On the other hand, I didn’t like that same blurring effect being used on background characters. The ‘supporting’ characters (if you can call them that), the boyfriend and secretary, are pretty bland and look like background characters themselves.
I actually enjoyed the back-up story more. ‘Aero & Wave: Origins & Destinies’ is drawn by Pop Mhan in a more traditionally superhero comic style that’s more my speed. Aero’s wind powers are clearly displayed here. In the main story, for better or worse, she’s all by herself. I actually like her better here, when we see can see how Lei Ling is with other people. It made me think of Blue Beetle in “Heroes in Crisis”. One of the few things I appreciated in that messy mini-series was how Ted Kord was ready to take on anyone and everyone, hero or villain, for his buddy Booster. That level of loyalty stands out to me and we see that from Aero here when she defends Wave. We also learn Wave’s origin here and it makes you feel for the character. Pearl wanted acceptance after a hard life and was tricked into working with the bad guys. Wave’s trying to do the right thing but Triumph Division will never truly accept her. Fortunately, her new friend Aero does. The back-up ends up is an effective showcase for Pearl and in just a few pages, arguably a better showcase for Aero as well.
Final Verdict: 6.0 – Welcome to the Marvel Universe, Aero (and Wave) – Hope you survive the experience!
