How does the first issue measure up?
'The Great Ten' #1 of 10
Written by: Tony Bedard
Art by: Scott McDaniel
You may remember 'The Great Ten's' first appearance in DC's '52' approximately three years ago. They have officially returned and been given their own ten issue series which highlights both their origins as a team, as well as each individual team member's back story. However, it seems that this may have been a part of the problem with this first issue. Only so many aspects of any story can be told at one time, and the primary problem I personally had with this book was the fact that far too much was happening at once. Bedard outlines (very briefly) China's political relationship with Tibet, which seems to be at the core of the conflict that the members of 'The Great Ten' will be forced to confront. It seems somewhat presumptuous to assume that the reader will be versed in China's socio-political history, but this is exactly how it reads in the beginning. While the concept of using real life Chinese socio-political issues to enhance the story is inherently brilliant, the writer could have done a far better job of integrating these issues into the actual plot of the story rather than assuming that we all have a background on the history of Communist China.
There are ten team members, and this happens to be issue one of ten. There is a small focus on the 'Accomplished Perfect Physician's' character, so I must assume that each issue will focus on each individual member and tell his or her back story in addition to telling the story of their journey to becoming a member of 'The Great Ten.' The book seems to jump around a lot as well, going from "12 years ago" to the "present" and back again, with little to no transition; essentially disrupting the natural flow of the story.
Reflecting on the book as a whole, it could have been better organized (I blame editing) and this first issue could have dealt less with the story of the 'Accomplished Perfect Physician,' and more the story of the team as a whole as well as more historical overview since it seems to be such a crucial aspect of the overall plot. The art was okay, I have seen better.
2.5 out of 5