Codebreakers #1
Reviewed by David O' Leary
Codebreakers #1
Story by: Carey Malloy
Art by: Scott Godlewski
Colours by: Stephen Downer
Letters by: Johnny Lowe
Cover by: Julian Totino Tedesco
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Reviewed By: David O' Leary
Book Summery : Busting foreign spies on domestic soil. Cracking the code on drug and human trafficking. Shutting down the mob. They are the elite Cryptanalysis Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, examining manually encrypted documents and records of illegal enterprises, providing expert testimony, forensic assistance, and identification of terrorism, foreign intelligence, and criminal activities in support of federal, state, local, and international law enforcement investigations and prosecutions... Ciphers. Codes. Encryption. Passwords. Meet the best of the best at puzzling out the truth and protecting all of us from those that would steal information in ways that can shatter the global community and kill. But what happens to the Cryptanalysis unit when one of their own goes missing? Is it a puzzle the puzzle-solvers can't solve? And will this cipher reveal things about... themselves? In the mode of previous BOOM! series like POTTER'S FIELD, UNTHINKABLE, blockbusters like NATIONAL TREASURE and DAVINCI CODE, and espionage comics from our esteemed competition QUEEN AND COUNTRY and WHITEOUT!
"Chapter 1"
This is the first of a four issue mini series from BOOM! founder Ross Richie and written by newcomer Carey Malloy. Together they bring the rather bookish world of code breaking to a rather more action orientated setting in a commendable first outing.
The story revolves around a set of code breakers, each with a different set of skills that form an overall crack team of cryptographers. The first third of the issue is spent introducing the main protagonists and they have your usual mix of eccentric and old hand characters that you come to expect in reading an ensemble book. But it is the plot twist of the supposed suicide of a bright intelligent young hotshot of a code breaker named Stan that the remainder of the story is set up. Team leader and senior cryptanalyst Donald Foster is the one person who thinks that Stan is still alive and that the suicide was staged. Together with two other team members they set out to prove their theory correct.
The issue ended on a cliffhanger of sorts and I don't know if it was the right call. We spent the majority of the book wondering if Stan was really dead. We were taking Donald at his word, albeit a considerably educated word, that Stan was still alive and the last page reveal made me wonder if the page could not have been left until next issue, thereby leaving the reader to wonder who was right, Donald or the picture from the security camera that caught Stan falling off the bridge. But after just one issue, I will give Malloy the benefit of the doubt.
This book is set in the tone of Queen & Country, but in colour, and reads like it you could be watching a film with a very linear story that is easy to follow. In fact, the books solicitation likens the book National Treasure and The DaVinci Code and I can see why that may be. It is like a somewhat intelligent action film. But like the movies it is likened upon, it won't be everyone's cup of tea.
The art is provided by Scott Godlewski, who is the co-creator of Mysterious Mystery Magazine whose art honestly I thought was hampered a little by the colouring. The story is the kind of script that would have read beautifully in black and white but that is not to take away too much from him as the first issue is just like the writing, competent and without real fault.
I won't dismiss the book on just one issue and there was just enough to entice me to come back and check out the book for the remainder of the series. For a debut effort, Carey Malloy could have done a whole lot worse.
Rating the Book
Story: Overall 7 |
Art: Overall 7 |
Importance: Overall 7 |
Take A Look Inside
Reviewer Bio
Name: David O' Leary
email: idwfan@yahoo.co.uk
Been reading comics: for about 12 years now.
Review Bio: I am a 26-year-old Hotel Manager from the west coast of the Republic of Ireland and think this is a great way to talk to others about this cool medium. I am a husband to one wife and father to one girl (so far).
Favorites: ONI's Whiteout, Vertigo's Scalped and Garth Ennis Preacher and Punisher in Trades. In comic form I am reading a lot of Marvel and a bit of IDW, Dark Horse & WildStorm among others.
Website: Sorry, I don't have one!
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