The Paybacks #1
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer(s): Donny Cates & Eliot Rahal
Artist: Geoff Shaw & Lauren Affe
Cover: Geoff Shaw & Lauren Affe
Some heroes have the skills to sew their own costume like that guy from Queens. Others have the financial backing of a playboy billionaire or a certain Professor over in Westchester, NY. Then there are those that have to take out a loan to fund their superhero activities and when they can’t make good on the payments that’s when they have to answer to The Paybacks! This team of superheroes isn’t worried about the battle between good and evil. They just want their money and for those that can’t pay up, it won’t be a good day.
Now, Buzzkill was a favorite with the Tales From The Water Cooler guys and seeing that most of the creative team from that series is back there was no way this was going to be passed on. Donny Cates and Eliot Rahal introduce a group of characters that bring a perfect blend of comedy and action that dares you not to turn the page and see what’s next. The main plot is a great introduction and lays down some of the rules and how they operate as a team. Cates and Rahal also don’t make this such a straightforward story which takes a twist when the most interesting character (the van) is introduced and we see that The Paybacks is a vast organization. There’s also another team that is sent on a mission but lets just say that there’s a lot more bloodshed and it ends on a great cliffhanger.
Shaw’s artwork once again syncs perfectly with the narrative while moving the story at a kinetic pace. The character designs themselves are great and poke fun at the superhero genre with a subtle but effective touch. Bloodpouch is one that pretty much nails the 90s era while Knight Mare is just a very cool talking unicorn! The characters are expressive enough to deliver the comedic parts which are even better when there’s no dialogue to get in the way. All of this is brought together in a nice little package with Affe’s colors that give it a little kick in the end.
The Paybacks isn’t on shelves until September 16th but I suggest getting up and preordering it right now! The creative team delivers on all fronts in this issue and I’m willing to bet we’ll get more of that great quality as the story continues. Plus, you really can’t pass up a story that not only has a talking unicorn but the best line from the first Blade movie as well!
Infinite Speech
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