Incarnate #1 (of 3)
Story: Nick Simmons
Penciler: Nick Simmons
Inker: Matt Dalton
Colorist: Brian Buccellato
Cover: Jo Chen
Letters: Rob Steen
Assistant Artists: Nam Kim, Ben Harvey, and Shi Hua Wang
Publisher: Radical
Release Date: August 5, 2009
Imagine reading your favorite manga with all the surreal depth and formality. Now imagine that story without the rough translation and English language blunders. Nick Simmons has captured the spirit of the style perfectly while adding his own bit of flair in “Incarnate”.
“Incarnate” issue #1 is the first solo outing of “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” star Nick Simmons, but you wouldn’t guess this story was written by a rookie. In this issue we are introduced to Mot, an ageless and immortal creature referred to as a Revenant. To make things interesting, Mot is not alone. A whole crew of immortals has gathered to discuss the new threat of Sanctum; a group of modern-day witch-hunters out to destroy the Revenants. No one has ever had the power or ability to even threaten Mot with death, until now. With his extraordinary scythe made of a human spine and skull, the Sanctum organization’s Vincent may have what it takes to end the long lives of Mot and the others.
Simmons’ writing is proving to be insightful and an extra twist is that the real villains of the tale are not apparent at first glance. While the dialog can get heavy at times, it captures the feel of creatures that have been around for ages, making the occasional formality seem more natural.
The art is definitely manga in style and is an interesting change of pace for Radical. The characters are all drawn strikingly different and several panels are just begging to be a storyboard. While Simmons is credited with penciling, there is a team of “assistant artists” also credited on the project and it is difficult to determine how each person was actually involved. However, the overall look of the book is very well done and crediting quickly becomes a non-issue.
“Incarnate” is an exciting new story that is fun despite the formality of the writing and dialog. The story has a great cast of characters, depth, and promise. The $4.99 price tag may seem hefty, but the issue has twice the pages of other comics effectively making a six-issue series into three. While this arc is only scheduled for three issues, “Incarnate” may have what it takes to survive, whether Mot does or not. I will definitely pick up the next issue.
