Becoming an Alter leads Charlier further to his true self.
Creative Staff:
Story: Paul Jenkins
Art: Leila Leiz
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Ryane Hill
What They Say:
A world where a war between heroes and villains is being fought to a stalemate, with humanity becoming the collateral damage part of the equation…The heroes know they are losing the war. And in the middle of this world-changing conflict, a new threat seems to be emerging: the Alters. They are mutants, possibly – or perhaps they are some kind of ultimate end to our genetic road map. Whatever the case, Alters seem to be emerging all around the country… and they are met with fear, distrust, and prejudice. They manifest new, dangerous powers that emerge without warning.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With Paul Jenkins having worked on some fun books over the years I was definitely interested in seeing what Alters would be like since it’s working a number of different angles. The new book from AfterShock Comics has him working with Leila Leiz as her first American work I believe after doing a lot of European stuff for the last couple of years. And she’s definitely going to make a splash here with this book as she simply nails the look of it throughout. With great character designs and some strong layouts to keep the flow really well done combined with a lot of detail in the backgrounds, Alters definitely has an engaging look from start to finish. Which is very well complemented by the color work from Tamra Bonvillain as it has a certain kind of pop to it that feels just perfect for the kind of story it wants to tell.
The premise of the book is familiar enough to fans of the superhero/mutant genre as we have a world where one in fifty million people seem to be coming out as Alters after one super genius did so. The problem, of course, is that while a number of them are decent people there are also those that are problematic to say the least. Sometimes you get someone who unlocks what they are and they end up destroying a large area, such as one incident that killed five thousand people. But you also get people like Matter Man that has a cruel and twisted personality and seemingly has taken on an independently powerful position where he can’t be stopped so most just give into him. When new Alters surface he insists they be given over to him, which isn’t that difficult as the mood has soured toward Alters, and they either align with him or they likely get ended. There’s another group that tries to get in to bring Alters into their fold before Matter Man can, but they’re also not able to stand up to him so it’s definitely a resistance kind of thing going on.
The focus is on that of Charlie, a young man with an older and younger brother with parents that are “good people” but have their faults. It’s a decent family setup that’s more familiar to more people than not and we get a good feeling from Charlie with how he acts with them, touches of his background and employment, that helps to make him accessible. That he’s a new Alter is no surprise as we’ll see the world through his eyes, but he’s struggling with more than just being an Alter or being a part of this family. He’s also in the early stages of transitioning with hormone therapy as he’s on his way to being a woman. So it’s rather appropriate, and definitely useful from a secret identity perspective, that he dresses up and wears a wig when taking on his seemingly highly powerful Alter role of Chalice. You get the sense that he’s going to be the balancing point against Matter Man but he’ll have to deal with his own attitude first. It’s not a bad thing but when we see him as Chalice and he becomes her, there’s such a sense of freedom and lightness about her personality and movements, a total comfort with being that person that they really are, that you know it’s going to get her into trouble along the line. But with the powers we get and the curiosity of the other group combined with the seeming ruffians that Matter Man runs with, the opening issue sets up a lot and introduces plenty while also tantalizing something really great here.
In Summary:
While I enjoyed what Jenkins did with his other AfterShock series Replica, I suspect Alters will be the one that will stand out more for a range of reasons. The book may get a lot of its initial attention for the diversity and the transgender aspects, all of which is hugely important because representation matters more than a whole lot of people understand, but it will succeed or fail on the quality of the story and artwork. And it’s here that I think it will take everything else and wrap it all up together in what should be a fantastic package. Jenkins’ script covers a lot of foundational elements here in a smooth and easy fashion while being engaging. His characterizations are solid and I want to know more about just about everyone. And the scale of the conflict on the horizon is obvious with twists in the mix.
It should also be a success because Leila Leiz is an utterly fantastic discovery here in how she brings this to life. While I tend to do my second and third passes on a book for certain details or looking at the script in full to see what I missed, this book kept me for both of those revisits just for the artwork and greater appreciation of Bonvillain’s color work on it. I’m already eager for the first arc to be done and over with so I can savor it in full as the monthly wait is going to be a rough one.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: September 7th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99