Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Twelve: Spearhead #1 (One-shot)

Hey, it's The Twelve!

Sadly, this isn't the next issue in the long-delayed 12-issue maxi-series. Happily, it's a prequel that takes us back to the days before the team was captured by the Nazis and put into suspended animation.

Written and drawn by Chris Weston (who provided the art on the regular series), it's a warts-and-all look at the efforts by the Allied super-heroes to bring an end to World War II.

Rather than glamorizing the war, here we see a more ground-level approach and the grisly effort that was required of real men as well as the ones who wore masks.

The issue is packed with guest stars, but Weston manages to give us a brief look at the members of the Twelve, with a focus on The Phantom Reporter.

The story rolls along at top speed, and manages to capture the horrors - and horrific acts - that are an inescapable part of war.

The art is outstanding as always. Weston has a great real-world approach to his art, with creative layouts and lots of energy and personality on display. He turns in outstanding work here.

So this issue does a great job of shedding some light on the team's history, and setting the stage for the upcoming publication of that long-awaited issue #9.

About which I can only say: it's about time!

Grade: A-

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