Writer: Vita Ayala

Artists: Raul Allen and Patricia Martin

Publisher: Valiant Entertainment

Letterer: Saida Temofonte

Rating: 12+ Only

Technopathy, the ability to control electronics and forms of technology with the mind, is one of the most underutilized superpowers in comic lore, but titular protagonist Livewire exhibits a power and control that immediate shows the reader a clear mastery of her own power with very little limitation as she saves two commercial planes within the early pages of the comic. However, the depth of the personal layers surrounding such a powerful being are immense, and issue one promises future complex storylines to converge in an action-packed way.

Personal baggage over a previous engagement of powered beings against non-powered humans overshadows previous friendships, and the weight of history is clearly setting up readers for future backstories in future issues. The narrative here is bite sized, but Vita Ayala does an excellent job of getting right into the action and setting up readers for future issues.

This issue was filled with a lot of action, and Allen and Martin fill the pages with style to match the story. The weight of Amanda “Livewire” technopathy comes across easily, with light shades to exhibit control and power throughout the pages. There is no hesitation of the reader to understand what Livewire is doing which is commendable with a telepathic power and very hard for an artist to convey, but here it is done masterfully. Attention to detail is present throughout, especially with the multicultural aspects of different characters shining through without basic bland templates put forth by the artists. The writing and artistic collaborative effort is well executed.

This short length story is packed with intrigue and is a great introduction to what promises to be an interesting character. A complex backstory, ambiguous motivations, and cool superpowers make Livewire a hero to be on the lookout for moving forward. Livewire #1 is available from Valiant Entertainment now.

********************************************************************************************

Ryan Files is an avid comic book and video game consumer, reviewer, and critic hailing from the boondocks of Illinois. He has taken his ethnographic cultural studies background and applied it to his love of geekdom. He is a huge Star Wars nerd, Castlevania fanatic, and his power level is definitely over 9000. When he isn’t online writing about how he misses old school beat em’ ups like Final Fight, Streets of Rage, or TMNT IV Turtles in Time, he raises his 3 Dora Milaje warrior girls with the most awesome wife a blerd could ask for. You can reach the mumbly one @moblipeg on Twitter or email him at moblipeg@gmail.com.