Mark Millar has done it again!
Kick-Ass 2,
Nemesis and
Superior have all come to an end for the time being (and are all on their way to the big screen) but
Supercrooks feels perhaps the most cinematic of them all. It's structured like a film, and for that reason, this first part feels a little brief as it's clearly designed (as with most miniseries) to be read as a whole. However, this first issue still sets up the world and tone perfectly. The pieces are all put into place and it looks set to be one hell of a ride.
Supercrooks #1 is a very strong opening to one of Millar's most enjoyable and fun ideas yet. A heist movie with super villains? Yes please!
"Get back, I've got electric powers!" says our protagonist Johnny Bolt as he comes face to face with superhero Gladiator after a diamond heist. His response? "Do I look like I give a shit?" and a very brutal punch to the face. Once again, this is Millar's grounded take on the superhero genre and is in some respects reminiscent of the attitudes of the superheroes in
The Ultmates. Without divulging any specific plot details, Johnny gets out of jail, runs into an old friend (another supervillain) and in order to pay back a debt - the reason for which we see in a very entertaining sequence - decide to head a place where there aren't any superheroes to stop them. Spain.
The dialogue is sharp, funny and everything fans of Millar have come to expect from his work. It's a smart idea and it should be very interesting to see exactly where the story goes from here. An honourable mention should also go to Nacho Vigalondo, who is credited as co-plotter on the book. However, it's Lenil Yu's pencils which really make the action jump off the page. He plays a massive role in giving
Supercrooks its cinematic look and tone, while both his character and action work is probably the best he's done so far (even more so than
Superior perhaps). With inks from Gerry Alanguilan and colours by Sunny Gho, this is a damn good looking comic.
Mark Millar, Nacho Vigalondo and Lenil Yu deliver the first of what is sure to be another violent, fun and must-read Millarworld book. Bring on the next issue and bring on the movie!
Click on the preview pages to view them in full-size.