From Aspen Comics, David Schwartz, Pasquale Qualano, David Curiel, Josh Reed.
This issue is by far the best issue of Idolized yet and that was already a high bar to leap. It may just be one of my all time favorite issues as well. It has everything I love: great comic book action, strong female character, morally gray characters, a plot that demands the phone be turned off and the popcorn be popped. No need to go to the movie theater this week, I got my fix of 30 foot screen action and excitement within these pages.
Joule faces that challenge that all heroes must surmount in order to separate the strong from the weak. Her powers are gone leaving only the powers of the mind. Her trials are more dramatic than Hunger Games. I’m asking for it right now, Jennifer Laurence as Joule in the Idolized movie. Who’s with me?!
Idolized takes so many failures from other comics and spins it into gold. Who else remembers being uncomfortable while reading The Boys? This hero wants to join the big leagues too, and faces just as many obstacles but without completely turning off the reader.
The time reading Idolized becomes more than just flipping through a comic. It has all the drama and obsession that reality shows are known for. Every panel, every page is a far too long commercial break. The wait in between issues feels longer than any series hiatus you’ve ever waited through.
Then there are the visuals. High def and 3D don’t have anything on Pasquale. By far his best work yet. Every single character, male or female, looks like a star. The faces convey more emotion than your family at Christmas. The panels, the placement, it all feels bigger than the space of the page. If comics had speed this one would be breaking records.
Joule is the best girl next door in all of comics. More credit to the team for creating this woman that readers can find strong yet simultaneously want to protect.
I don’t want to slight the lettering and colors here. Josh has this wonderful font he uses for Joule’s inner thoughts and the trick he has at the end to show the, shall we say, end of a thought is inspired. I’ll never forget this trick and I apologize to him in advance because I will probably subconsciously “borrow” it.
Pasquale’s work wouldn’t be as great without David’s colors. How would you go about showing subtle bruises and scratches on skin? You study David’s work that’s how. Long time comic book readers know how inking can add depth to the page but what about coloring? Curiel has these little touches that pop more than a case full of Magic Eye posters.
This is the type of enjoyable comic that reminds any reader what made us fall in love with comics in the first place. I’m so excited for this issue to hit the stands, you’d think I had something to do with the creation of it. Kudos to all of Aspen Comics for this issue.
