Brik #1
Written by: Adam Glass and Michael Benson
Illustration by: Harwinder Singh
Colors: Gonzalo Duarte
Letterer: Melanie Ujimori
Publisher: Oni Press
Review by Gregory Brothers
When you pick up a book and begin reading you can usually expect some things to be in common. The characters and the environment often change but in the end the overall theme when boiled down to its basic parts are the same. Growing up feeling out of place and dealing with adversity is one of those themes that is common among all of comics. Batman and Spiderman are just two of the mainstream heroes that had to deal with the death of a loved one, and based on the teaching of those deceased family members created a mantra to live by in seeking Justice. But what if instead of being taught with great power comes great responsibility, Peter Parker was taught about an ancient monster that could be called upon and controlled to try and destroy the problem. If that was the case the he would be named Drew and his story would start in Brik #1
In Brik #1 Drew is your average kid growing up in Yonkers, New York. His dad is out of the picture so his mom and grandfather are raising him, living in a small apartment right above the corner deli that the family owns. He has his problems including being bullied by some of his classmates and like any teenager he has a crush that he is to scared to tell about his feelings. His grandfather sees the struggles that Drew is going through and tries to comfort the young boy and keep him from losing hope by telling him stories of an ancient creature called a Golem. The Golem can be called upon using by using a spell from a lost book. Once the creature is created it can then be controlled by its creator and dispatched to eliminate the what ever the problem is. What Drew does not know is that while he is dealing with bullies at school, his grandfather is also dealing with a neighborhood gang that is working to get people sell their businesses to a neighborhood developer. With his grandfather being a man who stands up for what he believes in, he does not take being threatened well. After the confrontation between his grandfather and the gang, Drew begins to learn that maybe the stories that he has heard about the Golem are not just stories told by a hopeful old man, but instead are based facts.
The art in Brik #1 is set on the more realistic with most of the panels being focused on the subject while the background is just colors and vague images. The coloring does a great job of giving you a better feeling of the tone of the scene. The raining while up on the roof with his grandfather along with the grays makes Drew’s green eyes really pop. You can see the adoration Drew has for his grandfather as he tells his stories. Meanwhile it feels as if when he is telling the stories Drew’s grandfather looks more youthful and hopeful, while later you can see the wear and lines on his face as he deals with his own real world problems.
Verdict:
Buy It! With any first issue you have to find that fine line of introducing the characters without being to bland and not hooking the reader, but at the same time you can not overwhelm the reader with to much. Brik #1 strikes that balance. If you are a fan of comics at all then the bones of the story will feel very familiar as a kid is trying to find their place in this world while dealing with both small and big problems. The issue gives you a true sense of who Drew is and how complex of a character he is while not giving away the entire story.
