Endangered #1

What happens when you have the world's most boring dad but he turns out to be an intergalactic hero?

The Good

Kickstart Comics have recently started putting out self-contained stories by different comic book veterans. With Endangered, Joshua Williamson gives us the story that all kids could imagine happening. When brothers Chris and Mikey discover their boring dad is really a space hero, they get pulled into an incredible and dangerous mission that could affect the fate of the galaxy. The story has a great pace and the brothers are well written. You really get annoyed at times with sixteen-year-old MIkey, and that's how it's meant to be. We get just enough set up before the action begins and having a firm conclusion, with room for more stories makes this a great package for the casual reader.

Juan Santacruz has the challenge of creating a space frontier that has an original feel to it instead of looking like past sci-fi stories we've seen. The designs of the ships, weapons and aliens all have a distinctive look that adds credibility and doesn't make this feel like 'just another sci-fi story.' I'm often critical of the color in sci-fi comics because the bright colors makes everything feel fake and plastic. The colors here do work which, for me, was a relief.

The Bad

I haven't figured out who the Kickstart books are geared towards. The smaller, almost digest size makes it more convenient that reading a full sized trade. It's hard to believe but at times I felt like this story was meant for a younger reader. Two teenagers thrusted into an intergalactic battle would be most kids' dream. What bothered me was how easily the sixteen-year-old adapted to this new world unfolding before him. Finding out his dad was a space hero barely surprised him. His ease in operation space vehicles could be attributed to his driving skills on Earth or perhaps it was in his blood. These little details were slightly distracting.

We do basically have a four issue story here and there is a tidy ending. There is room to continue the story of the kids but I'm not sure if I cared enough about them to want to read more.

The Verdict

Kickstart Comics is trying something different. The smaller digest sized book, giving you essentially a four-issue miniseries for $8.99 is a good deal. Joshua Williamson delivers a sci-fi adventure that kids of all ages could relate to. You have that sense of something like this could happen. Having a complete story is appealing to those casual readers who enjoy a beginning and an end in one complete package. Because the story dealt with two teenagers fighting for the sake of the galaxy, I felt like the story might have been intended for a reader younger than I am. It'd be a great book for readers looking for something new and may not be ready for the monthly title commitment. There is room for more stories to be told with these characters but I'm not exactly sure if I would want to see them.