The Wannabe #1
By Hervé St.Louis
December 9, 2004 - 14:57
Marvel Comics
Naked Productions
Writer(s): Chris Hollmer
Penciller(s): Courtney Huddleston
Inker(s): James Taylor and James Dean Smith
Cover Artist(s): Mike Zeck and Mike Garcia
The Wannabe is the story of Erik Miller, a proud man working in sales, trying to make it to the top with his pregnant wife. Yet as Erik is fond of saying, every time he gets smug about life and thinks that everything is going right for him, something hits him in the face. He has to crawl back and start again. Except the next time he starts, it will be as a common’s man super hero.
The Wannabe’s take is that regular joes like Erik can become super heroes. It’s possible, and this is what this story is set to show. Super heroes are more than costumed fighters wearing tight clothes. Hollmer brilliantly explains and shows this in the first issue of The Wannabe. There is nothing to make us believe that this is another vigilante story. All the events that we see could happen.
The artwork is sumptuous. I have never heard of Huddleston before, but his work shines throughout. It’s a simple, effective and clean style. Inkers Taylor and Dean Smith share as much of the credits. Their work is reminiscent of early Jason Pearson. The inks help solidify the entire comic book and give it a dynamic tension that’s needed for black and white series.
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The Wannabe #1