Heroes, sometimes, make themselves.

It’s likely the dream of anyone who does a stunt or super-power show, to really become the hero you play day in and out.  It doesn’t quite go that way in the first issue of Dartman, but the dream is definitely there.

Richard Irving has a lot to say in twenty-six pages.  There’s a great deal of story going on here, and if you read it like a typical comic, you’ll easily get lost.  Irving has created a very intricate and detailed world and wants to get the reader up to speed as quickly as possible.  We start with the fight we’ll end with and catch ourselves up through the issue.  I’ll admit, there are times where it feels like an awful lot of info is tossed at the reader, but there’s a solid enough structure to everything that makes it feel like you can handle all of the data if you take the time.  It’s not quite the typical hero’s journey, but there are great moments in the issue that make you believe that you can step up and do the right thing.

Lee Milton does a good job of trying to keep things straight for us in the story and has a great touch with the action sequences.  A few of the characters feel a little similar to begin with, but once our hero is on the scene, there’s no doubting who’s going home triumphant.

This is a fun, if deep, first shot at a new series, and there’s enough here to get you moving along with a good idea of where things will go without being depleted of surprises.

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