Midknight #1
Written By Paul Ens
Pencils and Colors by Tom Hodges
Inks by James “Buckshot!” Bukauskas
Letters by Troy Peteri
Red 5 Comics
Cover price: $2.95; On sale: Nov. 14, 2007

A life of parenting and crime-fighting never stops the for superhero duo of David and Tarilyn D’Ville in Midknight #1. In the first issue of the Red 5 published comic, the two heroes, also known as Midknight and Knightingale, have date night at a hockey game, disrupt a mob-style robbery, stop a furor in church, and manage to take care of their young daughter with a little help from their nanny. The delicate balance between life and hero’s work hangs precariously in the air, like to pieces of fruit in mid juggle.

A rare book heralding the value of familial responsibilities all while wearing tights at night to stop nefarious deeds from happening, Midknight will put a smile on your face with the various jokes (an homage to Jay and Silent Bob was a nice touch) while harkening back to sense of realistic life experiences.

The D’Villes are anything but a normal family, really. Mr. D’Ville is a doctor and the Mrs. works as an assistant district attorney, but there’s a pretty big suspension of disbelief when reading comic books, and I’m more than willing to look past the hoity-toity exterior of this family for the goodness that motivates them into action.

The book, created by Tom Hodges and Terri Hodges and illustrated by the former, carries a lot of characterization depth, with distinct personalities surfacing within mere panels. A lot of emphasis is placed on facial expressions and body language, a skill often left out in the cartoonish stylizations oh-so familiar in today’s Batman-Justice League animation world. But it’s that same cartoonish renderings that open the book up to a larger age demographic. Midknight is easily readable by youngsters and childish adults, alike. Definitely recommended for fans of Pixar’s The Incredibles.