What happens when the vigilante gets caught? What if V had been exposed much earlier in the story? Would there have been a night in November? What if Batman had been arrested and thrown in jail? How would that impact the people in their lives? How would the world view them and exploit them? That is the question you get reading this very intriguing thriller from Kyle Higgins and company.
The Book
No/One
Written by: Kyle Higgins and Brian Buccellato
Artist: Geraldo Borges
Colorist: Mark Englert
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Production Artist: Wesley Griffith
Creative Consultant: Peter Nickeas
Editor and Designer: Michael Busuttil
Publisher: Image Comics
Eight months ago, the Richard Roe murders rocked the city of Pittsburgh, and now the aftermath is all over. No/One was a vigilante that was killing people whom he deemed were corrupt and was arrested and revealed to be Aaron Kern, whose father was the deputy police chief.
The story opens with a murder. Another copycat murder as the city is still reeling from the Richard Roe murders. What makes this copycat murder more compelling is that it is using a lot of the same traits that Aaron Kern used to kill. We see the impact of this through the eyes of Ben Kern, Aaron’s father, whose reputation has been ruined by the revelation that his son was the killer. He is investigating the scorn of the city, and the self-loathing that comes with it.
You see this in particular with the funeral scene of the Kern family’s mom. Ben and his son Michael meet. Michael is a mess. He is depressed, had disappeared, and working really hard to come to terms with the fact that his brother was a killer.
The other major character is Julia Paige, the reporter who initially exposed No/One’s identity. She wants nothing to do with this story. She rather covers the Penguins game, but her paper and publishers want her here covering the story. Reluctantly, she agrees to do a podcast about this.
This story is both cynical and wildly imaginative. You can see the city trying to move on from what happened but also taken in by the No/One craze. Julia represents this as the media is often looking for ways to exploit this. This is also represented by Ben’s public perception? How could he know his son was doing this? And, who is the No/One currently on the streets? Because Ben does visit Aaron in jail. Their relationship is fractured, and there are deep wounds here, which fits the whole narrative.
How did this happen and where is it all going to go?
This is a superhero thriller with incredible depth and worldbuilding. Higgins and Buccellato have crafted an intricate script and world to deal with this question. The extras in the back show just the level of thought brought into the world with the bonus wikipedia style page, the articles, and timelines of what has happened before. There is even a podcast on Spotify you can listen to right now to add to the story and you can listen to the podcast that talks about this issue.
Geraldo Borges and Mark Englert have added to worldbuilding. The art reminds me of Tim Sale’s Batman stuff or Darwyn Cooke’s crime thriller stuff, (and considering the dedication that’s probably the intent at least with Sale) the colors and tone are subdued, and the story is in tone of the book. It’s right in front of you. I should also credit Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou for the lettering. Hassan conveys the emotions and pain in the story with his choices.
This is an amazing read and a great start to the miniseries. Take a read if you can find it.
The Business
Things are going quite well this week. I once again have hit over 1500 downloads this week on the podcast. I want to thank the people here at first comics, including Rik for giving me a platform to help spread the word out there.
On top of that, I can say that my education massage therapy series Healing Hands with Shelniel Bostic will be launching May 2nd. I’ve been working on this series since November. I’m nervous about showing it to the world and will be making some previews on the newsletter in the weeks to come. Click on the link to subscribe if you wish.
That’ll do it for this week. Next time? I’m reviewing Something from Stephanie Phillips. Stay inspired out there.
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