Getting a reaction from someone immediately is probably the best way to draw someone into a story. Using humor is one of the strongest ways to go about doing this. Brian Wood (DMZ, Moon Knight), writer of the new series, Rebels, made me laugh multiple times in the first 2 pages. Win!
Rebels #1 is not about Star Wars, it is, instead, our entry point into a time in American history when we became a teenager and wanted nothing more to do with our British parents – The American Revolution. More specifically, 1775: the beginning of the first militia. But, don’t think it’s some boring history lesson. Wood, along with artist Andrea Mutti (Batman Eternal, Punisher ’09), who really knows how to stage a scene, have fashioned something that has vibrancy and intelligence to it.
The first issue is mainly exposition – the world, the characters, the relationships – but they bring it to life with humor, violence, and passion as seen through the eyes of a young man, Seth, brought into the fighting by his father. The stakes are high in an unconventional way almost immediately. These are people at the beginnings of their fight for freedom against a regimented force meant to keep the peace that, instead, treats them unjustly. The situation rings true, especially considering all of the current events dealing with law enforcement. Whether it’s intentional or not, it certainly brings the story to life in an exciting and immediate way.
With Seth’s situation firmly set in place by the end of the first issue, we can feel that the creators will really start the turmoil in issue two. I’m looking forward to it.