Byte Marks (vol.1 / no.5)

As a long time comic fan, I am one of the voices that can be heard decrying the state of the industry. I can offer up a laundry list of all the things I think that are wrong in the four color world. It is always a pleasure for me to be able to shine a light on what is right in comics.

One of the shining examples of what is right is Scott and Benita Story's Johnny Saturn. Take tight storytelling and old school artwork, toss them in a blender with the best of what has come before and the hope of things to come and Johnny Saturn is what is born from that volatile concoction.

Johnny Saturn, for me, is definitely a throwback to those heady days of mid-twentieth century "mystery men", ala The Shadow, Doc Savage, and even The Batman (as originally conceived). He is the embodiment of that spartan work ethic and sure moral center that is largely missing in todays comics.

Johnny Saturn is hard-boiled, tooth and nail heroism that invokes the old school stylings of Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, Joe Simon, and Gil Kane, but matched with that peculier blend of modern angst and classic art that has been the trademark of creators like Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons.

Johnny Saturn is larger than life in a way that can only be showcased by the "street-level" adventures of a man of mystery. It is a snapshot of reality, played out on a grand stage, with all the inner turmoil that is wrestled with by we, the readers, and that's what makes Johnny Saturn tick. We know we are lesser men than Johnny Saturn, but his will and moral fibre are inspiring, and that kids, is what comics were meant to do. Not to be masterbatory fantasies, but inspiring tales that show us what we can be...

Johnny Saturn, in summation, rocks.

'Nuff Said...

Visit Scott Story's MySpace for more information...

4 out of 5 stars