Lets go!

Everything you need to know about Victor Dandridge’s Point of Authority is all on page one.  He recaps the story from Origins Unknown so well you don’t really have to read it.  

In a nutshell: bumbling, nosey kid puts powerful, mystical mace in his Grandfather’s hand–Caos ensues–Boom! –Code Red, Twenty-three Nineteen– You’re ret to go!

First Impressions

Point of Authority is a really good book.  So good, all of my critiques just feel like I’m nitpicking.  

For instance, the last few pages may have been laid out a bit better.  Maybe.

Or maybe the penciler, Andrew Fields, could have worked on ethnic noses a bit more.  (Don’t know why that bothered me so much.)  But, to be fair, his design of the Golden Guardian was so spot on it gave me Bill Cosby vibes – a depiction that  seems very apropos for this story.

Know what.  Scratch all that!  Forget I said anything!  

Truth of the matter is, Victor is a very accomplished writer who knows how to effectively compose, construct and execute a comic book.

This book is Good and that’s all that matters. Periodt.

Or is it?

Dark Twisted Fantasies

I presume Victor didn’t send me his book so I could tell him how good it is.  He wants to know how to make it Great.

And to that point, all I’d say is it could be more “edgy”.  I know that sucks.  So many empty calories in a statement like that.

What I mean is, Point of Authority sits somewhere in between a dark version of Disney’s Incredibles and a light-hearted issue of the comic book Powers.  It’s my impression that POA aspires to be more of the latter; with its noir design and the foreboding undertones in the story.

Speaking of noir undertones, kudos to Kevin Anthony De Castro who pulled off those awesome gold highlights throughout the book which gives Point of Authority a rich signature look.  But I digress.

For those who recall, Powers’ most engaging quality was that it always suggested there was a dark mystery behind everyone of your friendly neighborhood superheroes.  POA implies the same.  It just doesn’t carry the same level of fear and anxiety as Powers did.

Maybe if the Golden Guardian had foiled a hostage situation or a terrorist attack– something to get my heart pumping. Instead of the typical rescue from a burning building.

But I see Victor is opting for the slow burn.  Possibly drawing us into a sense of complacency before dropping that gold mace down on our heads.

Watch your back folks!