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We screened the pilot episode of Marvel and Netflix series Jessica Jones at NYCC 2015 to see if the show has the potential for Daredevil-level success.

by Alexander Lu

Story: Brian Wood

Art: Andrea Mutti

Colors: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Jared K. Fletcher

New Hampshire’s state motto, “Live Free or Die,” has always captivated me.  It’s raw and aggressive.  It’s frenetic and energetic in a way that captures the revolutionary feel of a newborn nation struggling to find its footing.  While Breaking Bad may recently brought the slogan back into the modern cultural discourse, Brian Wood’s (The Massive) and Andrea Mutti’s (Star Wars) historical narrative, Rebels, sets out to explore the history behind those four powerful words.

In its first issue, Wood and Mutti successfully lay the groundwork for a gripping historically-based narrative that explores the origin of The Green Mountain Boys, an American militia that captured Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War.  The story is told through the eyes of Seth Abbott, who is introduced to us in a beautifully scripted and drawn opening sequence where Seth, under the guidance of his generally distant father, finds the courage to open fire on a group of British soldiers attempting to take over farmers’ land in the Albany territory and thus blossoms into adulthood just as America begins to emerge an independent nation.  The story then cuts to show us Seth as an adult, quelling a conflict between British militiamen and disgruntled American farmers at a Pennsylvania courthouse.

Rebels is not an unbiased comic.  At one point, the team shows British soldiers opening fire on unarmed American protesters, clearly aiming to cast the Americans as martyrs and the redcoats as ruthless villains.  As the lead protagonist and a native resident of the colonies, Seth is definitely portrayed as an American patriot through and through.  At the same time, however, Wood’s script does a good job of making sure Seth doesn’t turn into a gun toting all-American “hero” who is out for British blood.  In the opening scene, Seth takes a long time to find his courage, and as an adult, even ends up becoming best friends with a former British army runner named Ezekiel.  Even after the British soldiers at the American protesters, Seth encourages peace.  He says: “Have patience.  They’ve lost the day.  Soon enough they’ll realize it.  Wouldn’t you rather they dig their own graves, rather than have your loved ones dig yours?”

Great, chilling stuff.

Mutti’s art in Rebels contributes a lot to the story.  His panels are filled to the brim with details.  The trees of the New Hampshire forests are rendered with great care, and when the action moves to the courthouse in Pennsylvania, Mutti fills every panel with countless Americans and British in meticulously illustrated period garb.  His linework particularly shines when it comes to faces, which express emotion with energy and zeal.

While Mutti’s work is fantastic in Rebels, Jordie Bellaire’s (Moon Knight) colors take this comic to the next level.  Most of the book uses muted earth tone pastels, creating a color scheme that unifies the American people with the American landscape.  The British Redcoats, staying true to their name, are what stand out from the rest of the color scheme.  Their bright red uniforms clash with the browns, blues, and greens of the American people, and really make them feel like invaders in the landscape of America and the comic page.

Ultimately, Rebels #1 lays out a solid foundation for what is sure to be a thrilling dive into a part of American Revolutionary history that isn’t often told.  Choosing to focus on a more localized topic that doesn’t span the entire nation or the entire war allows the team to focus on building characters, which is what makes Rebels more than just an illustrated history textbook— it’s a comic with heart.

Written by: Dennis Hopeless
Art by : Kev Walker
Colors by: Jean Francois Beaulieu
Publisher by: Marvel

By Matt O’Keefe

Avengers Undercover is a direct sequel to Avengers Arena, but writer Dennis Hopeless does a great job giving readers all the necessary info in the first page. It sums up the status quo for the survivors, and encourages readers to read Arena if they haven’t yet. They should; it’s a good book. Hopeless continues to demonstrate strong character writing in Undercover. Having Hazmat interact with viewers who think of their time in the arena as a game is an excellent way to expose us to the characters’ new lives. Runaways Chase and Nico bicker on a talk show, which was well-written but hampered by Chase’s new rock star look, which looked too cartoonish to take him seriously.

The issue starts to lose steam with Death Locket and Cammi’s scenes, which largely served to repeat the sentiments of Hazmat, Chase, and Nico with different characters. Bloodstone’s quest for vengeance didn’t impress me; not a whole lot of character development there. I give a lot of credit to Hopeless for including all seven characters a spotlight, though. The cliffhanger didn’t excite me, both because of the lacking second half of the comic and because it failed to offer any new surprises.

As I was reading I found myself straining to understand what was going occurring within the panels. I think that was due to the coloring; the palette was murky enough to pull me out of the story at times. I’m a huge fan of Jean-Francis Beaulieu’s colors on the Oz books and Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird, but those titles were more lighthearted, which encouraged a lighter palette. In my opinion, Beaulieu overcompensated for the darker tone of Avengers Undercover in this issue. My enjoyment of Avengers Arena and some strong character moments are convincing enough to bring me back next month, but I’m hoping for more in both story and art in upcoming issues.