Disconnected:
Tales of the Sovereign #1 and 2

Octane Comics

Jason Stephens- Co-Writer, Penciller, Inks

Eric Boswell – Co-Writer, Colors, Letters

Warning: Contains Spoilers

Drew’s Review:

Man, was this a good comic! I loved the dialogue and the witty banter displayed between the Sovereign and his supporting cast. A lot of writers go for the “witty banter” and cool catch phrases, however, they never seem to make them actually work. In this, Stephens and Boswell excelled amazingly. I don’t think anything was played for laughs; it just kind of was funny. That is a sign of high talent, my friends.

Their character is a guy who I can easily relate to; he is a downtrodden everyman kind of person (much like Spider-man before he married a super model and made deals with demons). He gets speeding tickets, goes to work, takes care of his kid, and suffers from all kinds of aches and pains (acquired from his beating). He goes fishing with his friend, enjoys a beer, and strives to be a better person. He is someone who wants to be somebody, but fails miserably to make a difference (much like most of us). He puts on tights and goes up against a super-villain and ultimately loses. I know most of us can think of at least a time or two, when we tried to take on someone bigger and stronger than us and failed in doing so. And of course by the end of issue two, we see that after all he’s gone through he still is going up against someone bigger and stronger than he is, this time in the form of “the man” or the authorities. In this way, he’s also a lot like the average guy in the fact that he doesn’t really learn his lesson. Even after brutal defeat, he is still picking fights with giants.

The action in this comic is balanced perfectly with the character moments like those between Sovereign and his old drunken pal. The fight between Lord Downfall and our hero managed to be both comical and intensely violent. I was surprised at the level of brutality that ensured within the flashback sequences. To me, these additions made the character pop even more because it showed the reader that this guy is just that, a guy. Bullets do not bounce off his chest. Instead he is beaten and left to take the rap for the destruction and innocent deaths caused by their tussle. The media hates him, as do the cops and even this world’s Superman analogy, Nobleman showed up to tell him how much he sucked out there. This is a hero you do not envy.

This story that starts AFTER the hero was defeated. It shows the psyche of a man who put on tights to fight crime and got beaten half to death in doing so. Yes, it is a plot that is used quite a bit nowadays, but to me, it has never been as interesting as the comic I just read.

I give this a definite must read. It’s fun and light hearted, and yet at the same time disturbingly gruesome. Pretty much everything you would want out of a comic book, right?

Brief Rundown:

Story 5/5: Great start to what should be a terrific series here. I look forward too much more of the Sovereign and his creators as they both develop into forces to be reckoned with.

Art 4/5: Really solid work here, I like the subtle character designs, as they add a whole new dimension to the story as a whole.

Cover: (Issue One) 0/5 – It’s an weird image of Lord Downfall, I would much rather of seen Sovereign on the cover for his first ish.

Cover: (Issue Two) 2/5 – Decent image, but doesn’t really reflect any of the quirky character that this book has.

For More Information:

Octane Comics

DriveThru Comics

Indy Planet

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