I love unusual superheroes, and indie comic book writer Matt Garvey and artist Dizeve, bring us one in The Ether #1.  A rather dapper person who wears purple latex gloves and a skull-fitting map of what looks like London on their head, Mr. Ether’s superpowers seem to lie in not only his detective skills, but also in the realm of a being parkour expert rather than have any magical or supernatural abilities (though perhaps we see these later in the series).

We are introduced to him after the kidnapping and brutal murder of several children.  The local detectives have nothing and reluctantly look to him for help, since he can cross lines that they can’t.  It’s a common trope, but one that works well when certain aspects of Mr. Ether’s personal life are revealed. His hunt continues through the seedier parts of town, as he interrogates a pornographer and his minions.  It’s a tough night, and Mr. Ether barely makes it out intact. When he returns home, more is revealed, which I don’t want to spoil for you; however, the spate of missing children takes a surprising turn when we see who the culprits are.

I love the fun, old-time cover they included in the comic. It gave it a cool, retro feel and made me smile. The art and coloring is very stylistic with a noirish atmosphere which works very well with this story.  The lettering for Mr. Ether gave a creepy feel which effectively distracted from his true identity, but I found the rest of the lettering rather jarring. It didn’t quite fit the moody piece of the comic; however, I loved the twists and turns of the story. It ends on a rather disturbing note that doesn’t bode well for Mr. Ether, or us for that matter.

I very much look forward to the next issue.