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A review by joshgauthier
Buzzkill by Mark Reznicek, Donny Cates
4.0
*Galley received from Image*
Proving yet again that the superhero genre holds immense potential for creative and relevant storytelling, "Buzzkill" presents us with a hero whose power comes from the consumption of drugs and alcohol. Rather than using this premise as a joke, the comic delves into the struggles of a man who seeks to be a hero but is weighed down by the consequences of his power source and his own choices.
"Buzzkill" succeeds as both a superhero comic and an examination of addiction, entwining the themes in both plots as the hero struggles to reconcile the conflicts and losses of his own life with his hopes for the future. This darkness is reflected in the rough imagery and violence of the comic itself, as well as in the often grim tone of the story. But the story is not without hope, and the creative team balances despair with perseverance as events draw to toward the final conflict.
So, there is a lot that succeeds in this fairly ambitious story, but it is not without weaknesses. Dealing with such complex subject matter, the themes and plot often feel as though they could have been developed more completely than they are. Similarly, the ending - while not bad - doesn't provide quite the resolution that I was looking for.
Despite my complaints, though, this is a complex and intriguing story that manages to use superhero tropes in an fresh and relevant way.
Proving yet again that the superhero genre holds immense potential for creative and relevant storytelling, "Buzzkill" presents us with a hero whose power comes from the consumption of drugs and alcohol. Rather than using this premise as a joke, the comic delves into the struggles of a man who seeks to be a hero but is weighed down by the consequences of his power source and his own choices.
"Buzzkill" succeeds as both a superhero comic and an examination of addiction, entwining the themes in both plots as the hero struggles to reconcile the conflicts and losses of his own life with his hopes for the future. This darkness is reflected in the rough imagery and violence of the comic itself, as well as in the often grim tone of the story. But the story is not without hope, and the creative team balances despair with perseverance as events draw to toward the final conflict.
So, there is a lot that succeeds in this fairly ambitious story, but it is not without weaknesses. Dealing with such complex subject matter, the themes and plot often feel as though they could have been developed more completely than they are. Similarly, the ending - while not bad - doesn't provide quite the resolution that I was looking for.
Despite my complaints, though, this is a complex and intriguing story that manages to use superhero tropes in an fresh and relevant way.