Fabian Rangel Jr. teams up with Warwick Johnson-Cadwell for the energetic “Helena Crash” from IDW. Read on for our spoiler free review.
Written by Fabian Rangel Jr.
Illustrated by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
Lettered by Nic J. Shaw
From writer Fabian Rangel Jr (Space Riders) and artist Warwick Johnson-Cadwell (Tank Girl) comes a new pulse pounding, caffeine fueled, sword swinging, machine-gun firing, car crashing sci-fi adventure comic! In a future where coffee is illegal, Helena is a courier, delivering black market goods to anyone who can afford her services. When Rojo, a ruthless crime boss, asks her to assassinate his rival, the alien mobster known as White Demon, Helena finds herself in the middle of a gang war! To survive, Helena must use all of her skills, and seek help from her friends to stay ahead of her enemies!
One of the most fun careers to watch in comics has been that of Fabian Rangel Jr. After finding a ton of success through his Kickstarter campaigns, Rangel Jr. has written for almost every publisher at this point and has worked on some of the coolest licensed properties including Lucha Underground and “Mouse Guard.” “Helena Crash” begins this week and has all the things that make his books instant buys; it features Latinx people as leads, has an incredibly unique concept and a sense of humor. A lot of new series are demanding your attention lately, but this one is the real deal.
“Helena Crash” #1 introduces us to the eponymous character Helena Crash; she’s a courier for hire who delivers things (like the now illegal coffee) to different people across the city. Helena is a fighter. She’s great with a sword, can drive a car better than anyone in the Fast & Furious movies and doesn’t take any drama from anyone. Helena finds herself tested when she’s approached by Rojo, one of the cities mob bosses who asks her to do something that she won’t do.
“Helena Crash” #1 has a lot going for it. Rangel Jr. is a very well known fan of coffee and so it’s pretty funny to see him take that and put it into a story without it being ridiculous. He takes the time to explain why things are like this in this world in a very believable way. Natural resources, even those that don’t feel as vital as something like oil, still have a price and because coffee is a smaller resource, it keeps the story manageable. “Helena Crash” happens on a smaller scale and that keeps the focus on this character without losing any of the high stakes that Rangel Jr. has put on this character. Helena’s backstory and the motivations of every character involved is addressed very early on and while some questions linger, there’s so much in this first issue that will hook any reader looking for a new science fiction story with a unique take.
“Helena Crash” #1 has a sense of humor and heart that’s run throughout all of Rangel Jr.’s work. Despite having a more mature sensibility, there’s some great, fun dialogue throughout this issue that keeps things from getting to dark. From the opening scene before Helena shows up to the over the top, villainous Rojo, this book wants you to have a good time and it’s easy to do that. This is a comic book that combines a lot of different things that probably shouldn’t work together but do and I want more of it immediately.
It is hard to do justice to work like Johnson-Cadwell’s because it is so inspired and so unique and something I’d love to see in comics more. This comparison will be made by many but it’s impossible to look at this art and not see some hints of Jim Mahfood in here. However, Johnson-Cadwell does his own thing here and settles in nicely to his own world. This future has robot people, non humans and Johnson-Cadwell brings that to live with such flair. Each and every character tells their own story with a wonderful sense of style imbued in each one. Johnson-Cadwell’s work is going to be something that maybe doesn’t work for everyone but I love the not realistic art that fills this issue. I wouldn’t describe it as cartoony but almost graffiti like and as funky as the art is, there’s attention paid to proportions, angles and pacing. The early car chase is fantastic because he takes a different approach that embraces Helena’s narration. Our focal point is changed, specific parts of the cars are highlighted and it puts us into the scene instead of something unnecessarily flashy for this story.
Continued below“Helena Crash” #1 features a Latina lead and Johnson-Cadwell is able to bring a little of that into this world on top of Rangel Jr.’s use of Spanish. The imagery painted on the cars, the use of a suited Luchador and even the tattoos chosen all help make “Helena Crash” become a very different vision of the future that really appeals to me. His color work is equally fantastic because instead of heavy shadows, Johnson-Cadwell embraces color blocks to convey that. It’s a bright and fun book with a personality all its own.
“Helena Crash” #1 is a really strong debut that continues the hot streak Rangel Jr. has been on. With wonderful, unique art by Johnson-Cadwell this is the kind of stylized, alternative comix thing I wish mainstream comics would take more of a chance on.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – “Helena Crash” #1 is tough and full of attitude. A definite must read.
