By Mark Waid (Writer), Kenneth Rocafort (Art), and Sunny Gho of IFS (Colors)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ll admit to not being all that familiar with either Cyberforce or Hunter-Killer. Truth be told, it is the creative team that got me to pick up the first issue of the heavily hyped Top Cow mini-series.
The Story: The Hunter-Killer team, working to track down other Ultra-Sapiens, launches an attack on Cyberforce. As it turns out, the members of Hunter-Killer may have bitten off more than they can chew.
What’s Good: Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1 is really welcoming to new readers, which is a good thing because it’s a book you’re probably not going to want to miss once things really start rolling. Right from the odd opening, writer Mark Waid lays down a solid foundation for a crossover while doing a nice job of introducing both teams (and the universe they exist in) that are going to be fighting and (probably) joining forces for the greater good. The artwork by Kenneth Rocafort, meanwhile, manages to be gritty, sexy, and stylish all at once without ever failing to tell a story (for the most part). Rocafort’s work makes Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1 look truly unique and almost worth the price of admission alone.
What’s Not So Good: You’ve read Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1 before. I don’t mean that literally, but I mean it in the sense that it feels exactly like almost every other crossover that’s come before it. The stage is set, the teams are introduced, there’s some revelation, and then…uh oh…to be continued. You’ve seen it before, you’ve read it before, and there’s no getting around that fact. Now, that’s not to say that the formula doesn’t work, because it does. It still warrants a mention though, so that’s why I bring it up.
Conclusion: If you can get pass the generic “beginning to a crossover” feel that dominates the book, Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1 is well-worth checking out. Mark Waid’s got some cool ideas in play and Kenneth Rocafort’s work deserves to get noticed.
Grade: B
-Kyle Posluszny