Suicide Risk Vol. 1

by Mike Carey

Elena Casagrande (Illustrator)

Eisner Award-nominated writer Mike Carey (UNWRITTEN, X-MEN: LEGACY) brings his first original ongoing series to BOOM! Studios! Heroes are dying, and cops are dying twofold. Humanity is underpowered in the face of their onslaught, and people are suffering untold casualties trying to stem the flow. After barely surviving a super-powered bank heist gone horribly wrong, beat cop Leo Winters vowed to try and find a way to stop them. Following a lead, he discovered two lowlifes who seemed to be able to grant a person powers...for the right price. Thing is: you don't get to choose which power. It's seemingly random, a crap-shoot, a risk. Will Leo decide to take that risk? And why is it that even the heroes in this world eventually break…bad? Eisner Award nominated writer and novelist Mike Carey (UNWRITTEN, X-MEN: LEGACY) and rising star Elena Casagrande (HULK, HACK/SLASH) deliver a smart, mind-bending deconstruction of the superhero genre that will have you questioning your definition of a hero. This volume, featuring a cover by Tommy Lee Edwards (TURF, MARVEL 1985), collects the first four issues of the critically-acclaimed series.

• ISBN10: 1608863328
• ISBN13: 9781608863327
• Publish Date: 22 October 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Boom! Studios
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 112
• Language: English

Reviews

[celinenyx]

Summary: Super powers exist, but everyone who gains them turn evil. Cop Leon Winters becomes obsessed with stopping the villains.

What I liked:
- The art is shiny, dynamic and well-rounded
- There is a lot of action, and even though I wasn't invested, it was quite easy to read
- I really liked the concept, even though the concept has been used before. A battle between good and evil within a person always gets the blood pumping

What I didn't like:
- Suicide Risk didn't bring anything new to the table. Honestly, this was as bland as could be
- All the characters were paper-thin. The motivations where only half established, themes were never carried through
- It also doesn't help that all the characters are copy-pasted archetypes. The cop who sees his partner get hurt, who neglects his family and gets himself in too deep? Gee, I have never seen that before
- It tries to establish some pathos for the main character by including family scenes, but the family dynamics seemed stilted and too idealised
- Near the end, the story completely goes off the deep end by adding weird shit that doesn't fit in the world

Verdict: Least inspired Boom! Studios production I have read so far. Would only recommend this for when you have to pass some time at the dentist's