Shades of Blue #4 & 5

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2002
By: Darren Schroeder

Writer(s): James S. Harris & Rachel Nacion
Artist(s): Cal Slayton
Publishers: Amp Comics
From: USA
Price: $2:50 (US)

This one might be stretching the definition of small press a bit, what with listings in Previews, T-shirts and such, But as far as I know they don't have a movie or TV deal yet so I'll sneak it in quick.

For those of you who haven't read the review of #'s 1-3 here's the back story: High school student Heidi Page can shoot streams of electricity out her hands. This makes her friends decide that a career as superhero is the logical move for her. She's not that sure about that but give it a try when needed.

These two issues carry on the Silence storyline in which a new female teacher displays super villain tendencies and suggest that Heidi might want to think of turning bad and take remedial super villain lessons. The snappy dialogue keeps coming as do the tongue in cheek references to pop culture icons. This isn't exactly breaking any tired conventions of storytelling, but it does a good job of jabbing you in the funny bone.

For those who are graphically inclined, the art is top notch. The used of grey tones is well executed and Cal's character drawing is consistently of a high standard, with a nice line in short skirts, bare mid rift, and cat suits for the villain of the piece. The color covers would look nice on the shelves as well.

For an entertaining read this is sure to give the mainstream comics a run for their money, just don't expect anything deeper than an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a dose of self referential superhero banter.

In a Word: Slick.



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