Telepaths #2

Telepaths #2

AWA Upshot Studios 2021

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Illustrated by Steve Epting

Coloured by Brian Reber

Lettered by Sal Cipriano

An electromagnetic disturbance results in the sudden awakening of telepathic powers in a tenth of the Earth's population. In the moments after the world comes to grip with this development, newly-telepathic Boston police find themselves sent against a wrongly convicted prisoner who becomes a hero and leader of other telepaths trying to escape a world in which their powers will make them targets. Both are heroes of their own story, and the future may depend on whether or not trust can be found between them.

I’m not sure whether to be impressed or concerned about this series. I mean it kind of has that failed television series vibe about it, Heroes or Flash Forward for perfect examples. On the other hand a world full of telepaths who are like kids with a new toy, pushing their limits and seeing what they can do and get away with is that perfect recipe for disaster. I have mixed feelings about this one honestly and the formulae for what we see feels tested already and I’ll wait and see where this goes next issue before I decide because when Straczynski nails it he utterly nails it.

I’m intrigued by the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is being presented extremely well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter really helps bring their personalities to the forefront. With this new development the personalities we see are more fluid than ever before. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages we are swept up in these events as they unfold.

I like how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow. It may be a tad predictable but in the long run it’s the divergence within that familiarity that makes all the difference by how it adds depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably rendered.

The interiors here are sharp as hell. The linework is clean, crisp and strong and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality in the attention to detail is mind blowing in it’s scope. What Steve and Brian are able to do with their work here is take us to the verge of where realism and traditional comics style meet creating this gorgeous imagery. The way we see backgrounds being utilised to enhance and expand the moments as well as how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a brilliant eye for how colour works.

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This world that Straczynski has been creating that’s filled with Moths, the Resistance and now Telepaths continues to change how we view the world around us. It feels like the extraordinary happening to the mundane and ordinary and this engages the readers’ mind, imagination and creativity in ways that are undeniably interesting. The writing here is really, truly solid stuff and the characterisation is strong and interesting while the interiors are brilliantly rendered and familiar or not it remains something intriguing to read.