Writer: Jose Loeri
Illustrator: Montos (#1-#6), Bruno Lima (#7)
Letterer: Oval (#1-#6)
Letterer/Formatting/Impressions: Stan Webb (#7)
Art Direction: Raymond Francis
Executive Editor: Alan M. Cole
Editor-in-Chief: David B. Welcher
Publisher: Crucial Crisis Comix
WHAT IS IT?
Intrepid is the launchpad for a new superhero universe. While rooted deep in the superhero genre, the book mixes a fun blend of the conspiracy thriller and action/adventure genres.
It feels like Old Man Logan with a splash of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
(Minor Spoilers)
Thirty years after the fall of the Heroic Age, Joseph Paxton, a Fugitive Retrieval agent finds himself under sedation and imprisonment of the Paranormal Protection Agency, the same people he works for. Now, desperate to save the remaining members of his team, Joseph must become a fugitive of the state himself.
Not all is as it seems though. As Joseph makes his way back to the last location of his teammates, his activity begins to uncover more and more of a greater conspiracy. An organization called The Store has far more power than he expected, and they’re turning his teammates against him.
Intrepid ultimately feels like a real shocking look at the military industrial complex in a world of superheroes, with a dash of the extent we’ll go for the people we love.
WHAT WORKS?
While Intrepid feels a little familiar at first, the story really takes off and establishes itself in its own right fairly quickly. The first issue kicks off with a bang, something necessary to make sure it stands out amongst the crowd.
Though the book is entirely in black and white, it really is a joy to read. The book reads well for the most part, with character emotions coming through.
On that note, the action sequences are, for lack of a better word, bananas (b-a-n-a-n-a-s.) They’re big, bombastic, kinetic, and those are a real treasure to read through and enjoy.
The lettering, especially with Nadia in the last few issues, really helps stand out. In a black and white book, lettering can fall under scrutiny a bit more than usual, but it’s pulled off really well here.
The book is ambitious, throwing everything AND the kitchen sink at you. While there are hiccups along the way with that, it mostly makes for a really exciting and unique world laid out in front of you.
The characters are all wonderfully unique and their interactions often mean a good pay-off. Paxton and Dawson are pretty hilarious together, while Anna-Bella is a regular show-stealer when she comes onto the page.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK?
The artwork sometimes fails to properly lead the eye. There’s a few instances where it’s easy for the reader to get wholly off-track of the current scene. It never ruins a big surprise or anything, but it can be a little frustrating not knowing what’s going on mid-scene.
There is a LOT of unknowns here. How do certain characters know each other? How does one character know a secret about the other when they meet for the first time? While it isn’t always necessary to give readers every ounce of background detail, there are important plot points that feel very deux ex machina because so much background is lacking.
Intrepid’s ambitious worldbuilding gets in the way of telling the story in front of it a few times. Don’t get me wrong, that world is really, REALLY intriguing, but the book’s openness about being a launchpad for its own universe sometimes frustrates the plot it has to handle here and now, albeit in relatively minor ways.
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
It is fun as all hell. Once the book really gets going (and it gets going pretty early), it really doesn’t stop. It has all the fun and style of a good action comic and leaves plenty for you to want to read more. Intrepid blows the door off the hinges at every chance it gets.
It also has a host of characters that you can get pretty invested in, and the ones you don’t get too invested in, you at least have a sincere interest in where they go from here. Along with that is a pretty mysterious cabal of villains, ones that you really only meet towards the end, and provide enough of a mystery to want more.
Lastly, Intrepid gives us a pretty fresh take on this sort of superhero story. There’s a lot of moving parts here, ones that have a lot of promise and can hook you early.
HOW DO I BUY IT?
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