Comicphiles: Diesel Powered Silk-Senses
It seems like every single week brings a boatload of first issues and sometimes it can be tough to keep up with them all. But guess what? You don’t have to, we’ve got you covered!
Think of Comicphiles as your own personal bodyguard, protecting you from all of those pesky #1’s that just aren’t worth your time and making sure you’re up to date with the great ones! This week’s comics are Power Cubed (Dark Horse), Diesel (Boom! Studios) and Silk (Marvel).
Power Cubed
Kenny and his dad don’t have the best relationship, ever since Kenny’s mom died there’s been a major disconnect. Apparently at some point during this disconnect, unbeknownst to Kenny, his dad discovered and began working with alien technology. And what was the first thing he decided to create? Kenny’s 18th birthday present, of course. What else would you possibly do with advanced alien technology?
Kenny’s genius father has created a small cube that can create anything you want, all you have to do is imagine it. You want to turn your toaster into a car? Cool! The staircase into a T-Rex? No bother! Unfortunately for Kenny, and Kenny’s dad, there are a couple of people who would do anything to get their hands on that little golden box. One of those people is Doctor Cruel. Doctor Cruel is a stereotypical maniacal villain complete with henchmen he found online and a brain in a box. He is also apparently a Nazi, if the Swastika on his arm is anything to go by. This was one of my first problems with Power Cubed, there was no obvious reason for the use of this swastika (is there ever?) and it felt like a cheap trick. If you want us to know he’s evil the creepy face mask should do it. And that brain in the box.
Overall, the dialogue felt forced and clunky, the humour was extremely hit-and-miss and a lot of story was lost to a ton of over-obvious set-up and background info. Plus, Power Cubed has next to no apparent diversity, which kind of sucks.
Will I Continue Reading? Nope, unfortunately Power Cubed just didn’t do it for me.
Diesel
Dee Diesel wants nothing more than to be the Captain of the ship her family once owned and to live up to their legacy. In just one more day she’ll be 18 and the ship will be all her’s, but that doesn’t mean she has the skills for the job. Oh, and by ship I mean giant flying village/garage/community.
Having lost the title of Captain to her childhood rival and been assigned the glamorous job of trash-picker-up-er things aren’t looking so great for Dee. Add to all of that the fact that a mystery engine just crashed into the airship and it might be the worst birthday ever.
Diesel is off to a really strong start, Dee is spunky as hell and will definitely go down well among younger readers. In fact, everything in this first issue is completely all-ages appropriate but it’s still a fun, compelling read for the oldies. Visually it’s almost spectacular. The design is a gorgeous modern twist on a steam punk aesthetic, never going as far as adding coggs to every single surface but always embellished with fun details. The colouring is lush and warm and adds to that steampunky atmosphere.
Diesel is only a four issue mini-series so this issue has to blast through a lot of world-building but it easily achieves this without skimping on the story. We quickly get to know not only Dee but a whole host of characters with defined personalities and relationships. We do most of our meet and greets in the first half of the issue before the story jumps up and races towards the end.The start might be a little slow but by the end you might need to catch your breath.
Will I Continue Reading? Yes! That explosive ending has me wanting more!
Silk (Marvel True Believers Reprint)
Okay, I might be cheating a little. I read Silk #1 when it was first released, and have been reading since. But since Marvel has been re-releasing some awesome lady-led first issues and this week’s include Silk, I thought this would be a great excuse to read it again and maybe convince you to read it too!
Silk, whose non-superhero name is Cindy Moon was first introduced during the 2014 Spider-Verse event when she was found hiding in a bunker. If you haven’t read the Spider Verse storyline there’s no need to worry, this first issue will tell you everything you need to know! Silk’s origin is similar to Peter’s, she was bitten by a spider and developed spider-like powers such as webbing and spid-sorry, Silk Senses. After developing her powers, Cindy found herself in serious danger and locked herself away in a bunker to protect herself and her family. Jump forward 10 years and here we are, Cindy is out of the bunker, in a world she barely recognises and her family are nowhere to be found.
From the very first pages Silk is off to a great start, tons of action laced with Cindy’s self deprecating and charming humour, snappy dialogue and stunning art. All of the background information you could ask for is right there when you need it but it’s never jarring or detrimental to the storytelling.
Cindy’s PTSD and the lasting effects of her time locked away all alone are clear and handled with weight and respect. There’s a lot of emotional depth in Silk but it’s balanced beautifully with the fun we’ve come to expect of Spider-family comics. Plus, this one is bursting with diversity!
Will I Continue Reading? Already have! After a wonderful first arc I’ll definitely continue reading Silk when she returns after Secret Wars.
Have you read any of these first issues? Let us know what you thought about them in the comments below!
