TeenStrike 1&2 is a request I’ve been waiting on for a while. Surprisingly Dinosaur Games reached to me through (formerly known as) Twitter. …Sorry, I wasn’t clear. Dinosaur Entertainment is going into comic books with this being their premiere title. Mostly because of how personal it is to the guy behind it, Jesse Sosa. It might take a few rereads to see why, but it’s more than worth it.
TeenStrike 1&2: Why The Format?
You ever have one of those comics that go too fast to really know or care about the cast? Where you can feel an artist putting their passion into big action scenes? Or how about where things as so stretched out, you’ll be taken out of the story out of frustration with the pace?
I think that’s why TeenStrike opens with 2 issues instead of 1. This combines those first impressions’ strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
There’s a lot of things I like thanks to this ensemble cast. So much I need lists to avoid clutter.
- Introduces the characters more organically:
- No two characters feel the same, redundant, or like placeholders.
- Quirks and powers (mostly) reflect them. Like how Gabe talks in emojis and abbreviations in the chatroom.
- They look and act like real teenagers with their own lives, interests, and activities outside of heroism.
- Minor characters without powers are still in on everything and just as important as the others.
- Two arcs stand out the most to look forward to:
- Jesse’s insecurities and social anxieties at odds with his leadership skills. Especially with his hindsight captions.
- Monica as the overconfident malcontent. She’s great at expressing herself and putting herself on the line, but she’s bad at caring about others. Much like her shapeshifting powers, she’s got the most potential for dynamic shifts.
- Getting into the action feels more exciting with the pacing.
- Using photographs to visualize the cast going through their lives. Some with great effect like repetition.
- I’m a sucker for telepathic message rooms ala Young Justice. Special mention to Sarahy Ocanto for lettering.
- The fake ads don’t disrupt the story.
Weaknesses
- Pacing slows depending on some character’s dialogue or exposition.
- Some characters need more development.
- Readers might need a few rereads to put up with Monica’s standoffishness.
- The brands from the fake ads feel tacked on in-story.
TeenStrike 1&2 Team Building
One thing I really have to say about TeenStrike 1&2 is that the simple art style from Fran Arias. It’s very expressive with just the right detail. Like in the main action scene where Juan manifests his energy tentacles in black light basically roaring with them as the background fades away. It’s a big dramatic moment that feels like it’s meant to scare crooks.
All while Travis dashes and winds up his punch. Readers can feel the impact he makes while Juan takes two goons by surprise in the next panels. They’re moving in synchronized speed to deliver a payoff from all of their excitement. Frankly it’s easy to see Sosa’s own excitement in there too with him as colorist and art director.
Can’t forget Joe Solitz and Sarah Childs as the editors. Getting to work with their friends in Dinosaur again makes it feel like everyone’s bringing their best. Especially since one of the “producers” didn’t live to see their creation come alive.
Remember Your Friends
TeenStrike 1&2 pulls off a good ensemble story while avoiding most of the pitfalls. It emphasizes coming-of-age at a time when you could really use a friend to express yourself. Not perfectly, but what teenager can? What’s important is that you make a memory that you can share with others for as long as you can. When the creatives work together for all of that, the sky’s the limit. You just have to be a little patient because they’ve got plans beyond this double feature.
So let’s give this 7.5/10. For the best deal, find it here.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.