Supernatural #1 is written by Greg Pak and published by Dynamite Comics. Artwork is by Eder Messias, colours by Thyago Brandao and letters by Jeff Eckleberry. Main cover art (left) is by Clayton Crain.
Supernatural #1 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
The monster hunters must uncover the entity responsible for a series of mysterious fires in a decaying rust belt town — attacks that begin with a Windler Industries factory burning down, and then escalate to several Windler employees themselves going up in flames. But finding the malevolent force behind the otherworldly arsons may not be as straightforward as it might seem — especially once the suspiciously well-prepared CEO Steff Windler gets personally involved!
Review
Almost five years since Supernatural came to an end on our screens the Winchester brothers are returning. But this time they are adorning comic book store shelves in their first series since DC’s Supernatural: Caledonia wrapped all the way back in May 2012. With the license now at Dynamite Comics, writer Greg Pak and artist Eder Messias are bringing their own flavour to the story.
Rather than attempting to pick up the pieces following the series divisive finale this new series is cleverly set between seasons one and two. It takes us back to a time when things were much simpler for Sam and Dean. If you could ever call their lives simple. It strips away a lot of the complex lore which became the narrative drive of later seasons. That allows Pak plenty of breathing room to tell the kind of procedural investigative storytelling which gave the franchise its rabid fanbase to begin with.
The series opens in traditional Supernatural style by teeing up our case-of-the-week. Surprisingly Pak keeps this case one-and-done, wrapping up the storyline and moving the brothers Winchester on to new pastures for issue #2. In that respect we’re seeing a 45 minute television episode crammed into 25 pages of storytelling. It accelerates the storytelling and takes away some of space an episode would use to explore the threat of the week. But Pak compensates well by finding the right balance between all of the series core elements.
Supernatural fans know these characters inside-out and that puts pressure on to capture their voices. There’s also only so much room for character nuance in 25 pages. Pak uses Supernatural #1 to show a deep understanding and ability to bring the dynamic between the brothers from the screen to the page. Scenes between them in the diner place us right back in the story of early seasons. There are callbacks to key moments from season 1 which will help bring new readers in to the story as well. There’s always a difficulty in trying to recapture old fans whilst making new ones. It feels like this issue does that better than expected.
Eder Messias and Thyago Brandao bring a very cool style to Supernatural. If you’re familiar with my Star Trek reviews then you’ll know how much I get hung up on artists slavishly trying to recreate actors faces. Messias side-steps all of that effortlessly. All of the essence of Sam and Dean, plus Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, is encapsulated in these pages. Sam’s brooding nature emanates from every panel. But it’s so brilliantly balanced out by Dean’s playfulness. Pak’s recurring use of fire in the story is also highlighted intensely through the artwork tying together flashback moments to this new story.
It’s great to see these character back in comics. Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural deserves to live on and lends itself beautifully to the comic book medium. Whilst I have some reservations about the single-issue storyline it’s clear from reading this book that Pak knows exactly how to handle this world. As the brothers – minus their famous Impala – head towards Vegas I’m definitely sold on what Dynamite Comics is presenting me.
Verdict
A promising return that captures the spirit of early Supernatural. Pak and Messias understand what made the show work in its prime, delivering a case-of-the-week that feels authentic even if it’s compressed into 25 pages.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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