MARK MILLAR'S REBORN #1

*NOTE – This review was initially written before issue 2 was released this past Wednesday. It has not been re-written to include thoughts on issue 2.*

REBORN #1

Publisher: IMAGE COMICS (Millar World)
WRITTEN BY: Mark Millar
Art: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion
Colors: Fco Plascencia

I have not been kind to Mark Millar series over the last few years (I have never read KICK-ASS). The last few I have checked out, I never read past the first issue. I’ve also never reviewed them for Burning Mind.

I picked up REBORN as a blind buy – only having read a blurb online – I didn’t realize it was a Mark Millar title until I picked it up to read it. If I had, I may have passed on it. Once I saw his name in the bottom corner of the cover, I shuddered.

Prematurely as it seems, for I actually liked this first issue. It does what a first issue should do: Hook you. There are no answers to anything in this issue, in fact it doesn’t even give you any idea of what is going on.

As a characters says on page three, “There’s no time to Explain.” Explanations can be

forthcoming in the next issue. In truth there is a lot to explain, what the Hell is going on, and why does our main character Bonnie die in a stroke ward in her 70’s and wake up in the middle of a medieval looking battlefield only to be saved by her long dead father? Oh, and she looks like she did in her 20’s.

What world are we in?

Yes, lots of questions. But none of it matters. The world can be set up, and the explanations start come issue two. Mark Millar took a different route here, in issue one we get introduced to Bonnie.

Bonnie is 78, living in a stroke ward, and afraid of dying. Over this first, we get to learn who Bonnie is and we see the last few days of her life, her death, and her REBORN. It is written in such a way that we hear her thoughts. It isn’t narration we read, it is her thinking to herself as her time comes up.

It is a brief character study, as we learn who Bonnie was, a daughter, teacher, wife mother, in her last days. Then we witness her death, rebirth and the beginning of who she needs to be NOW.

If this story ended on page thirteen it would stand alone as a great end-of-life piece.

Greg Capullo’s art shines in this title as some of the best work I have ever seen from him. The art is nice and smooth, and not over detailed like some of his other stuff. This is not the “MacFarlane Clone” Capullo art.

I want to make special mention of Jonathan Glapion’s inks. Specially his inks on the elder Bonnie on pages seven and eight. These are a great piece of work. The inks are very fine, very smooth and add the perfect amount of detail. They are not too thick and don’t overwhelming the art or the wrinkles on Bonnie face. In other hands, the fine detail may have been blotted out with too thick of lines.

Fco Plascencia colors are also very good, giving good weight to the art and inks.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
This is an excellent first issue across the board. The story going forth though is going to be starkly different. Hopefully, they can keep the quality up.

RATING: 7.5 – Highly Recommended.