Writer: T-Bone
Artists: Ron Randall (p), James Taylor (i)
Publisher: A1 Oregon Publishing
Plot:
The book opens with a young man having a dream where his body is merged with that of a chameleon. He then wakes up, and we discover that his name is Zack, and that he works for a group that solves problems for people in trouble. To this end we see this group looks into a rather vague e-mail from a young student who is clearly unhappy, and it is here that we learn Zack has a rather extraordinary ability to alter his appearance, as well as a secondary ability that allows him to form a rudimentary mental linkage with the person whose identity he is copying. As we learn the troubled young man has been targeted by a pair of bullies at his school, we see Zack decides to pose as the cousin of this tormented teen, which acts to make him the target of these same bullies. As the situation escalates to the point where Zack has to defend himself from a rather vicious assault, we see the humbled bullies take it to the next level as they start a fire & blame the teen that Zack was trying to help. However, Zack & his friends are able to provide the evidence that exposes the lie, and the bullies are summarily expelled for their dangerous behavior. We then get a happy ending that preaches the virtues of nonviolence.
Comments:
As first issues go this one does a pretty solid job of setting up its premise, introducing it's cast, and one is left with a basic idea of what one can expect from an issue of Kameelman. I must admit I was a little surprised by how unambitious this book seems to be when it comes to its lead, as we have a lead character who is able to change his identity & yet the book has him dealing with a rather run-of-the-mill crisis. Now yes helping a teen who has been targeted by the school bullies is a worthwhile endeavor, but it's not one that really requires the protagonist to have superpowers. I mean other than lending a degree of believability to Zack's claim that he was Matt's cousin there's no real need for Zack to have employed his ability. Sure it would give him a heads up on what was going through Matt's mind, and during their initial meeting it allows Zack to figure out what Matt's crisis through the empathic bond he establishes, but this is hardly information that they couldn't have piece together without this telepathic attachment. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this book doesn't really sell the idea that it's hero needs his powers to resolve the crisis. On a side note however, the alternate ending available online does manage to deliver an ending where his shape-shifting power is a key element in the final solution.
The book does manage to sell the idea of the anguish that bullies can create, and for the most part the issue manages to maintain degree of believability to the whole affair. The teen cast interact with each other in a manner that doesn't feel contrived, and the conversation have a nice ebb & flow to them, as characters refrain from delivering long winded speeches. On the other hand there is a point where the book goes a little over the top when it details the actions of the two bullies, as having them burn an L into Matt's arm is bit extreme, as is the scene where they go after Zack with a stick. I mean I realize that this comic has to sell the idea that these bullies need to be stopped, but there comes a point where they cross the line from being your typical bullies, and venture dangerously close to outright psychopaths, and these two scenes are very much along the latter lines. I mean part of what shields bullies from punishment is that they can always claim the other person is lying, but burning letters into people's arms, and going after them with sticks in the full view of several witnesses removes the ability to lie one's way out of punishment. Setting the school on fire & blaming it on Matt is also a bit much, as was the principal's quick rush to judgment.
Ron Randell is a name I recognize from the Spider-Man books, as I believe he provided the art for the mildly enjoyable Solo miniseries, and coincidentally enough a Spectacular Spider-Man annual I managed to unearth during a recent trip though the back issue bins. In any event the art has a nice professional look to it, and one can't help but be impressed by the clean, easy-to-follow look of this issue. The characters are fairly easy to tell apart, which is actually more impressive than it sounds given the lead character is someone who adopts the identity of others, and the main antagonists of this story are twin brothers. The art also has a nice range when it comes to the facial expressions as the bullies are shown to draw great delight from their behavior, and the sense of helplessness that Matt feels as he's being tormented is also nicely done. The art is also quite strong when it comes to it's figure work, as these characters look like teenagers, and the work does some strong work expressing emotions via body language (e.g. the students panic as the race out of the burning school). The art also does some nice work with the more surreal aspects of the dream sequence that opens the issue, and the main action scene where Zack fights back against the bullies has a nice sense of impact & energy to it.
Final Word:
A bit heavy handed with its message of nonviolence, and the bullies who act as this issue's primary antagonists go far beyond what one normally expects to see from bullies, as the branding scene is downright horrific, and the eyebrows are also raised when they go after Zack with a piece of wood. Still the book does some strong work when it comes to the basic personalities of its cast members, and the writing has a pretty good ear when it comes to delivering realistic sound dialogue, though there are moments when it gets a little hard to ignore that it's trying to teach us a lesson about conflict resolution. The book could also have done a better job of detailing exactly what Zack & his friends are doing, as the best I could figure it they respond to e-mails that are sent to them asking for help, but no mention is made of how people know Zack & his friends provide this service, or what they receive from it beyond the satisfaction of knowing they've helped someone who needed help.
What did you think of this book?
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