| Author: Mark Powers | Series: Drafted |
| Rating: 9 (Wrath's Scale) | Reviewer: Wrath |
| Genre: Comic Book | Publisher:Devil's Due |
| Pages: 26 | Orig Pub Date: 09/07 |
| Binding: Comic Book | Illustrator: Chris Lie |
Drafted #1 does what only comic books can do: deliver a combination of current events blended with the exploration of the human condition.
Devil's Due is well known for their excellent comics including G.I. Joe, Hack/Slash, Voltron, Xombie, and others. They are one of the great smaller comic book publishers out there. This time they take their great creative energy and come up a new original series that is more than a simple comic bash, but a thought harvesting story in a world near annihilation.
Drafted's storyline follows a phenomenon happening across the world: emergency rooms are filling up with people that are having severe migraines. Then the story takes a leap in the direction of the War of the Worlds, while exploring cultural tensions and human rights. The story toys with the Israeli VS Palestinian conflict some and also hits home about how the US is relied on to come to the aid of the whole world. After the migraine phenomenon blows over another disaster hit: Earthquakes kill hundreds of thousands of people. If things couldn't be worse they are contacted by aliens who forecast impending doom.
The characters seem (at this point) very well thought out. Nasr & Ben are the odd couple; Nasr is Palestinian, while Ben is Jewish. Both are quarantined in Jerusalem following the migraine outbreak. President Walker and his staff are trying to manage the USA's response to the problem. Gabriel is the owner of a local corner store in New York, but we're not entirely sure what his role will be just yet. There are a bunch of characters that are spread all over the world, with no known role at this point. The cover gives us a hint that the people of earth might come into possession of some more futuristic weapons and equipment as well.
Drafted #1 does what only comic books can do: deliver a combination of current events blended with the exploration of the human condition. Throw in politics, cultural tension, aliens, and one hell of a cliffhanger and Devil's Due has a surefire thrilling read. Now I have to sit here hating the fact that I will have to wait for Drafted #2.
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