Uncanny #1
Written by Andy Diggle
Art by Aaron Campbell
Colors by Bill Crabtree
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Jock, Sean Phillips, Dan Panosian
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 26, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

As kids, we all wanted a superpower…right? Okay, be honest here. That carried through to adulthood, didn’t it? Especially when we go see any of the blockbuster comic-based films that Hollywood has turned (or churned) out in the last decade or two. Well, Uncanny #1 is the story of a guy with just such an ability. What he does with it is less than spectacular, but we all make poor decisions from time to time.

Okay, first off it’s good to know who you’re dealing with here. The guy’s name is Weaver and he’s a con artist. Sure, he’s got the badass ability to siphon the thoughts and knowledge from people that he touches, but he uses it to gamble and cheat people out of their money. Unfortunately for him, this information that he absorbs is very temporary. And he’s started noticing that his power is becoming slightly unreliable, though he has no idea why. But Weaver’s life is about to change. Other folks have taken an interest in him and, luckily, they’ve got pretty good timing. A last minute rescue finds him racing off with no idea what the future holds.

I’m liking the concept that Andy Diggle has put together here, it has a lot of potential. We get to know Weaver really well in this issue but not much on where the plot is headed. Having read several comics from the guy, I’m confident he’ll take it in the right direction. Aaron Campbell is a fairly well known artist who’s work I’ve seen from time to time. He has a certain style in this series that feels more painted than drawn. Not saying that’s a bad thing, just not as heavily detailed as some of his other work. All in all, it works pretty well with this lead-in story.

I liked the comic, but can’t decide if I loved it. It has all the right pieces but I guess I’m just unsure of what the final puzzle will look like. It has some originality that steps beyond the spandex and latex superheroes we all know so well. More crime noir than metahuman fantasy, it provides just a touch of magic to our already complicated mundane world. The potential is definitely there so hopefully we’ll see it grow as the series progresses. And while it doesn’t glorify theft or violence, it is certainly geared for teens and up, therefore keep the little ones away from it, if you would. If you like the darker side of life and are looking for something different then this might be the right one for you…but I’ll leave it to you to decide.