Something Old… Issue #1

Posted by Bucky

I am a hug fan of back issue bins. To me there is nothing better than diving into two dozen or more dusty long boxes, picking through the comics, ogling the covers and looking for something that just jumps out and bites me in eyes. It's also fun to go hunting for that last issue that will complete your set or hoping to find that bit of gold that may have slipped through the cracks at your local comic book shop.

To that end, I thought it would be fun to dig through my own boxes and find a rare gem to share each week with the rest of you. The only requirement? The book had to be at least a year old and not collected into any kind of trade paperback. That way, if you like what you see here, you too can go on that same quest as I once did, digging through the long boxes like Allan Quatermain looking for gold in King Solomon's Mines, seeking out your own hidden treasure.

Fearless – written by Mark Sable and David Roth with art from PJ Holden

Fearless is the story of one Adam Rygert, a millionaire with more than a few dark secrets to his credit. The first being that he is the armored Vigilante known by the name of Fear. The second being that he suffers from crippling anxiety and the only way he can do what he does as Fear is through a cocktail of various chemicals and antidepressants: an anti-fear drug that Adam is now addicted to. When Lionel, the creator of the drug, disappears along with the cylinder used to manufacture it, Adam is forced to use what little reserves he has of the drug and confront the Gasparian crime family and rescue his mentor. When Adam finds Lionel, he is forced to face the young upstart Victor Gasparian, Jr. and the dark secrets that the young crime lord knows about both Lionel and the drug. Victor uses an old family heirloom of great power to literally become untouchable and best Fear. It's then when his real plans come to light-to give the drug away to public for free, allowing them to become addicted, and then take it away-making himself infinitely powerful in the ensuing chaos. Can Adam confront his fear without the help of the drug and his armor? What will happen when everyone's secrets are brought out into the light?

Fearless is a great story about the nature of our fears, the power they can have over someone, and what it takes to move past them. It's a story about the monsters that lurk in our past, the specters that hover in our present, and perhaps the hope of freedom that exists in the future. Mark Sable and David Roth's story is both interesting at the same time that it is heart-breaking. Their dialogue and pacing is fantastic. With the help of the stylish art of PJ Holden, the story blazes quickly to a satisfying conclusion. I was a huge fan of this four issue mini-series published by Image Comics when it was first released and upon reading it again I can't help but hope that we will see these characters again. Fearless earns a strong recommendation from me and a well deserved 8 out of 10 fanboys.

Be back here next week when I again reach into the back issue bin. Until then, good hunting!