Pullbox Reviews: American Dreams #1-3

American Dreams

Created and written by Daniel Kalban, Pencils by: Dody Eka, Inks by: Tebe Andry, Colors by: Warnia K Sahadewa, Letters by: Matt Bowers

Review by Nate (writing intern)

Mysterious superpowers, Spirits, and Cthulu! Oh my! American Dreams has it all. Set against the backdrop of the turn of the Twentieth century, American Dreams is a cross between a superhero and historical fiction all brought together to form an action-packed adventure that I just had to read in one sitting. Starting with the introduction of our protagonist, Jake Gold, readers are thrown right into the everyday lives of those working in 1900 New York City. While jumping back and forth between a multitude of characters in the first issue, I didn’t feel this took away at all from the overall story. The events of characters being directly tied to one another.  As Jake Gold is zapped by a strange bolt of energy along with others, his life goes from ordinary sweatshop worker to protector of New York City, the embodiment of the American Dream. Throughout this story, Jake must face those that have also been blessed with powers while coming across new and familiar faces from American history. Will Jake Gold be able to become the beacon of hope America needs him to be, or will the forces of evil rule? Being the embodiment of the American Dream, Jake Gold certainly has his work cut out for him.

Now, I had no idea what to expect when I first started to read this series except based on the cover of the book. That being said, I was very surprised to see a story based in 1900 New York City that combined both superheroes and the supernatural into a story that was hard for me to put down. 

Writer Daniel Kalban does an excellent job of establishing the setting and characters throughout these first three issues. Not being that much of a history buff myself, Kalban was really able to provide a great understanding of the time period that any reader can understand. Through American Dreams, Kalban brings his own spin on U.S history while implementing elements that just work well with each other. 

Now, what about the fantastic art? Both Dody Eka and Tebe Andry turn in phenomenal work that rivals the likes of any mainstream comic. Depicting the perfect tone for such a story as American Dreams, Eka provides exceptional layouts along with stunning visuals as Andry adds to the depth through his use of line weight when inking. Both work exceptionally well with each other, applying a great use of panel layouts that flowed seamlessly between one another, especially during the action scenes. When looking over each issue it was hard to believe that this was just a comic on Kickstarter.

American Dreams is just one of those comics you can miss out on. While I thought some parts were a bit rushed, this didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment but instead added to the charm of this new take on the superhero genre. Overall, American Dreams is certainly a comic that I would be excited to delve deeper into, and with only three issues out, now would be a great jumping-on point for new readers.