Soldier Zero #1 – (Boom! – Cornell / Pina)
Stan Lee, the most colossal force in the history of comics, teams up with BOOM! Studios to deliver a brand new line of superhero comics! The great innovator of our industry brings his inimitable talents back to the direct market in an explosive line of comics that nobody is prepared for!
Half Human. Half Alien. All Weapon. In this first ongoing series, SOLDIER ZERO, Stan teams up with critically acclaimed writer Paul Cornell (ACTION COMICS, DOCTOR WHO) and artist Javier Pina (SUPERMAN, BATMAN) for a dramatic, action-packed superhero scorcher. When an alien parasite falls to Earth, wheelchair-bound college student Stewart Trauttmann becomes infected, and goes through super-human changes that no mortal could imagine. Forced into a galactic war that’s chosen Earth as the battlefield, Stewart defends the front line as…SOLDIER ZERO! The intergalactic war hits Earth this October in a new ongoing series from Stan Lee and BOOM! Studios.
review below!
I love Paul Cornell, I really do. I think he is one of the best sci-fi / action writers out there right now. If Soldier Zero gets past issue #5 – it will be because of his story-telling abiltiy. Soldier Zero has a premise that is nothing more than a modern re-telling of Green Lantern. A semi-sentient piece of high-tech weapon / armor falls from the sky, picks a worthy host (in this case a frustrated patriotic wheelchair bound soldier / scientist with a heart of gold) and takes previous-mentioned host into a galactic war… previously mentioned hero must balance galactic battles and justice with getting a date for Friday night. hmmmmm… sounds like Syfy show,
It’s not bad… it is well-written and Pina’s art holds well…it’s just highly predictable right now. From everything I have ever read of Cornell’s, I know that predictability and already used ideas are not his standard starting square. This is what leads me to my conclusion that Stan Lee gave a cliched sentence or two about the hero arch-type and Cornell was stuck writing it.
Boom! is listening – You have an above average catalog and incredible talent on your corner, give them the spotlight – people will buy this book because Cornell and Pina’s names are on it, not Stan Lee!
Issue Grade: B
