As people are already guessing, Hardcore is sure to make a splash in the speculator market. The creator of one of the most profitable comic series in recent years plus, but not really, one of the Image founders would normally mean massive pre-orders, but a substantial delay means most comic stores will be severely under-ordered. If you are like me, though, you do not care about comic speculation and only have one question: how good of a read is it?
Written by Robert Kirkman
Illustrated by Brian StelfreezeFrom the creative minds of Image partners Robert Kirkman & Marc Silvestri! Once the hard core is shot into the back of your neck, an assassin’s brain waves can be transmitted into your body–circumventing your brain functions–taking complete control of your body. When assassins use this technology–your killer can be anyone; your barber, your neighbor or your wife. They are the best assassins in the world–but what happens when one of their own turns against them? Who can you trust when your enemy can change his appearance as easy as someone changes a shirt?
Industry superstar Robert Kirkman is flexing his “ideas guy” muscles with this new series. Body-snatching assassins may have appeared in more than a few science fiction stories, but Kirkman knows that such a concept will not wholly bedazzle his readers, and instead has thrown in a compelling and exciting twist that is sure to have sci-fi action fans hooked by the end of the first issue. Even better, Kirkman is able to make room for the exciting twist and major rising action by using the first two thirds of the book as exposition. Normally, this would be suicide – a single issue usually is not enough for all the necessary exposition, much less two thirds of one – but Kirkman deftly presents us with all of the necessary information without bogging down the reader; even when Kirkman is dumping his heaviest batches of information, action is happening on the page. The only flaw with this info-laden yet condensed briefing is that there is some incredibly visible foreshadowing at one moment in particular, but considering that the foreshadowed twist is in this issue, this is not too much of a disappointment.
Kirkman’s two biggest series, “The Walking Dead” and “Invincible,” are primarily popular due to their strong characterization – every voice is unique, and every character richly defined. It is a surprise, then, that the characters of “Hardcore” seem a bit flat. The two most prominent characters, Drake and Markus, have different problems: Drake, despite his incredible “job,” seems completely unremarkable, with no real defining characteristics; Markus, on the other hand, has definition, but seems to fit too easily into the cliched “twisted, screwed-over individual out for revenge” stereotype. It could very well be, though, that the aforementioned exposition and plot development left little room for solid characterization in this first issue, and that, now that the ball is rolling, we will be seeing more depth to these characters than this first issue suggests. Until then, though, this is a big mark against the comic; plot is just the framework – characterization is key.
Artist Brian Stelfreeze, like many artists these days, uses non-conventional definition lines to detail his shapes and figures, particularly faces, resulting in a style that is unique and easily recognizable. Unfortunately, though, Stelfreeze has yet to master the stylistic craft that would otherwise be an interesting hallmark; whenever the panels tighten up, his lines – again, particularly his faces – become a tangled, indecipherable mess. The coloring actually makes matters worse – not that Sunny Gho is at all a bad colorist, but it draws attention to the fact that “Oh, that’s supposed to be the eye?”
This would not be such a terrible thing were it not for the fact that his rather shoddy storytelling needs all the help it could get. There are many sequences in the issue that are clearly scripted by Kirkman to cater to visual story-telling – the three-panel sequence that ends with a gun-throw, for example – that end up completely lifeless and dull, despite being jam-packed with supposed action. It is not a problem with every single sequence; surprisingly, the less-action heavy scenes are far more readable and carry more implied motion. Unfortunately, though, this is almost certain to be action-filled book, and Stelfreeze is definitely going to want to work on his action storytelling and his sense of motion if he does not want to be considered the weak link of the book.
Sometimes a book is so good writing or art-wise that the other can be a complete failure and the comic will still be worth purchasing. Usually, though, one factor is almost good enough, but needs the other to be at a certain, albeit lesser, level before a potential consumer can justify buying the comic. Unfortunately, while Kirkman inches past the cut with this issue, Stelfreeze does not, making this book just barely miss the buy mark. Still, it is just close enough to that mark that it is definitely a book worth flipping through in the shop and seeing if you do not mind the art so much.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – It would probably be better to flip it on eBay than to buy it for personal enjoyment.
