Freemind #0
By David Michelinie, Dick Giordano and Bob Layton
Published by Future Comics
Michelinie, Giordano and Layton are all respected creators who've participated in some of the most reliably entertaining and consistent superhero comics of the past thirty years. They've created the new Future Comics as an apparent response to the current state of mainstream comics, and further are taking the fairly daring step of refusing to play the Diamond Monopoly game by distributing right to comics shops, and also utilizing more independent-friendly distribution routes.
So I'm inclined to wish them well, since I agree that there's a need for more entry-level comics that will appeal to readers of all ages, and I certainly would like to see a fairer industry where one distributor doesn't hold the power to make or break a title it does, or does not, like.
Unfortunately, this 16-page preview does not bode well for the future of the company's output, as it's a generic, stiffly-drawn super-romp that establishes a mystery that engages my imagination not at all.
The writing and artwork are equally to blame. Giordano and Layton are both gifted artists, but together, here, the effect is one of bland mediocrity highlighted by action-figure poses like that on the inside front cover or page 3, panel 5. There's no sense of dynamics, and the overly-modeled colouring serves to sap even more life out of already depressingly lifeless artwork.
As for the script, there are mutliple instances of Michelinie's words repeating information clearly depicted in the visuals; a character witnesses a slaughter and says "My God, it's a slaughter!" A ton of sand is used to smother a fire, and the helpful dialogue then informs us "Fire's smothered." This type of redundancy was a hallmark of badly-written comic books of the 1950s, and in the 21st Century, it grates even more. Perhaps the most telling bit of bad writing is when the apparent villain says "Merciless evil deserves no mercy," only to be asked "Cripes, fella, who writes your dialogue?" When the characters are telling each other how bad the fucking writing is, you know, it might be time for a re-write.
Freemind has the same pointless feel and pseudo-enthusiasm that permeated the Valiant line of comics a few years back. The creators clearly want to return a degree of fun and readability to comics, but this inauspicious debut indicates that Future Comics probably isn't up to the task. Grade: 2/5