 This is the kind of high concept story that comics have the potential to do so well, and that Hollywood craves (and are, with this title) Originally a four issue mini-series from BOOM! Studios, Talent concerns a lone survivor of a plane explosion- Nicholas Dane, a 34 year old English literature professor. He's in no great shape but manages to survive the initial destruction plus hours in the freezing ocean without drowning. The world is of course surprised at his survival, not the least Nicholas himself, while others declare it a miracle. While he's recovering in a hospital bed scratching his head as to the mystery he's found himself in an ‘orderly' attempts top kill him, but Dane escapes with crazy boxing skills that aren't his. He runs and temporarily hides out with a couple of friends of his. Dane eventually learns, via an angelic blonde woman who speaks to him in various guises (a flight attendant, a voice on his hospital room TV) that Dane has now been lent new gifts from the dead passengers on Flight 654. What they could do, he can now do. When Dane finally meets his guide face to ethereal face she explains that Dane is now an agent for The Balance, a spiritual scale that keeps good and evil forces in check. Yes, I thought of the Force too. Dane now serves his dead gift givers and The Balance as he attempts to fulfil the now unrealised hopes and plans of his fellow passengers and survive the evil that caused the deaths.
Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski share writing duties. The pair have worked on various novels and comics over the years, and together on a few projects such as the Buffy novels Past Lives and Monster Island. It feels like the pilot of a potential TV series. I could imagine this translating well to that medium, with each episode focused on a different task for Dane, as he attempts to finish the wishes of the departed passengers while struggling to piece together the bigger picture of why. Sort of a hybrid between forgotten 90s show Nowhere Man and the classic Quantum Leap. Whether Talent will continue remains to be seen however.
Paul Azaceta's (Image's Grounded) art is filled with solid angular shapes. Kind of like Mike Mignola (Hellboy) but without the diversity of panel layouts, with a touch of Jock (Green Arrow: Year One) thrown in for good measure. Ron Riley's understated colours suit this subtle style well. We are shown a world of realism but without great detail, but when the rare action scenes rear their brutal face the starkness makes them appear more gruesome and harsh. The problem with this minimalist style is that it can be somewhat difficult to distinguish characters faces amongst one another (as in BOOM!'s thematically similar series, The Foundation) but Azaceta is skilled and experienced enough to not let that happen here.
 Sub plots involve a boxer named Marcus Smalls whose skills Dane has inherited. Dane seeks revenge for Smalls against some unruly sorts who have kidnapped Smalls' lover for not throwing a fight as previously agreed. Dane also finds a partner of a passenger to pass on their love. Dane is the sort of everyman that Harrison Ford or now, Shia Lebeouf specialise in playing. You know the type. Ordinary man. Extraordinary circumstances. We don't really know anything about Dane, other than his age and profession. Throughout the story he's more or less a vehicle for the vengeance and anger of the deceased travellers. There are moments though where we get a glimpse of his true self - the confusion, annoyance and frustration that goes along with being a part of something you can't control.
The baddies are made up of assorted hit men, government agent Krause and the obligatory shadowy organization referred to as the cardinals, led by Santa in a suit. They are the puppet masters who initially ignited the explosion (the simple, yet seemingly logical reason is cleverly revealed toward the end) and watch it spiral out of control from their Victorian era boardroom, as Dane and The Balance fight the good fight.
The TPB also includes a sketchbook of character designs and page layouts from Azaceta and the original script for the first issue. Behind a clever premise lies an equally novel execution. The story could go anywhere from here. It's not overly flashy and colourful. It is restrained, apart from the welcome fight scenes, but it serves Talent well. For fans of Vertigo's espionage books, conspiracy theories and supernatural thrillers Talent is worth a peek inside the intriguing exterior.
Comments (0)
|
