Writer: Mark Powers
Artists: Chris Lie, Joseph Baker (colors)

Published by: Devil’s Due Publishing


“Aww, f**k yeah!” I trust readers of this review to know what those two ** stand for in my opening exclamation. If you don’t, well then you are probably too young to know such words. As for the reason for such a colorful start, it is in part due to the twist at the end of this 99˘ Special and in part due to my not suspecting it (almost) till it finally came out. Others might not have such a reaction, but for me such an experience has all but disappeared from modern comic reading. For that I blame the InterNutz. Although welcome in most cases, one does miss the "first time" feeling that comes from going into a comic with no beforehand information and liking (or disliking) it for what the story brings to you, and not just because of some build-up from preconceptions (from solicits, previews and whatnots).

Such Specials (or issue #0 in many cases), apart from pulling in the audience with their cheap pricing, have one simple purpose: to do a quick setup, both of the characters and of the general plot outline(s). Although acceptable enough on the character introduction front, the Drafted 99˘ Special really shines by setting the stage for the main story. It gives us the What, When, Where, Why and Who.

• What? The series title is self-explanatory. The story is going to involve some sort of an armed force, which means it is going to have a battle (which by the way is also the answer to the ‘Why?’).


• When? Starting now (present time) and continuing to, well, until victory is achieved or defeat suffered.


• Where? On Earth, and by that I mean the whole friggin’ Earth. That too, for now only. It could very well be extended to space.


• Why? There is a "threat" that is going to fight (as in battle). Hence, the drafting.


• Who? With the whole Earth involved, the featured characters will also be from various nations.

As for the "threat" that is going to warrant the global draft, although revealed on the final page of the special, it gets a nice build-up starting from the mysterious affliction from the opening scene. I also liked the opener for another reason: it brought to mind the situation in another part of the world. The border dispute between India and Pakistan, although having its share of fighting and enmity, has also led to situations similar to the one played out here, what with all the troop build-up (at the borders) by both countries.

On a surprising note, the U.S. President George Bu…uh, I mean, Preston Walker (Walker, eh. Real smooth guys. No one will even suspect the character has drawn from Dubya), comes off as rather, well, semi-intelligent. Thankfully though he does have the usual "I wish I could just nuke ‘em all" flashes of brilliance.

At this point I’d like to give a nod to the artwork too. Although not the most polished, the visuals of Drafted are nevertheless expressive and more than enough in getting the point across. As for the polish, well, that I attribute to something that will come with the passage of time as both line artist Chris Lie and colorist Joseph Baker’s comfort level with the characters and setting increases.

Conclusion: Much better and informative than Devil Due's recent Sheena 99˘ Special. There isn’t an ounce of flab in this one. Now if only I could garner some interest in those intermediate character introductions.

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