Fearless Dawn #1

After debuting in Steve Mannion's anything-goes series THE BOMB, female superhero FEARLESS DAWN graduates to her own title, from Asylum Press. This premiere issue was long delayed, thanks to distributor troubles, but good things come to those who wait. No longer the timid teen of her previous adventures, Fearless Dawn is one of those headstrong, ball-kicking heroines, even if her costume looks standard thrift-store. Here, she's sent to Manitoba — riding atop a plane to get there to retrieve a sample of a "combat drug" that causes its users to hulk out. She finds what she's looking for in Helga's Henious Hothouse of Horrors, but getting out won't be easy. The Nazi soldiers there have been rendered 'roid-raged mutants by the drug, and Helga is an ILSA-esque vixen. By Mannion's pen, that means outlandish, cartoonish fun is in order, and he has the talent to pull it off without having it feel too silly or slight. As mentioned in our review of THE BOMB, his art is highly influenced by the early days of MAD — when it was a comic book, not a magazine — to the point that even his lettering looks like Harvey Kurtzman. That's exactly the right frame of mind to be in to enjoy FEARLESS DAWN #1 to the fullest. It's a gas, and gets out on a cliffhanger that leaves you wishing the issue were double the size. Of all the indie-comics outfits these days, Asylum Press is one truly worth supporting. —Rod Lott Buy it at Asylum Press. OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR: • THE BOMB by Steve Mannion