Medisin #1
Writers: Jeff Dyer and Mark McKeon
Artist: David Brame
Colors: Joaquin Pereyra
Letters: Adam Wollet
Publisher: Action Lab Comics
A review by David Hildebrand
There have been a few times in my life where I’ve daydreamed about being a bad guy. Where would my hideout be? What would be my ultimate goal? What would I arm
myself with? What would my name be? Would I be alone or would I recruit a team? And if I recruited a team, who would I get our health insurance through? Wait… huh? I have never thought about the health insurance (and in case this ever comes up as evidence on me at a trial, I have NEVER in my life thought about becoming a bad guy!) but in Medisin #1, we’re introduced to a health care system that solely focuses on healing villains after their battles against superheroes.
Medisin #1 focuses on Ethan Sharp, a brilliant young doctor who, along with his associate physicians, is being blackmailed by the criminal mastermind Malady to provide medical aid for the world’s worst kind of bad guys. When one doctor decides to go rogue, the rest of the team learns the horrifying result that awaits them if they decide to follow suit.
Medisin begins interestingly enough. We’re introduced to Sharp’s grandfather, Over Thinker, a super villain himself who ultimately met his demise years ago. While Ethan is finishing up med school, he gets a visit by a man who also happened to be in the same group of villains as his grandfather. The stranger tells Ethan that if his grandfather had access to a quick acting doctor like Ethan, he could have been saved. And this sets Ethan down his new career path as a doctor to the most sinister of characters.
I really like the subject matter of Medisin #1. It’s very original, no one has ever put though into medical for the bad guys! Sure, you have stories about street docs in the mob, but nothing like this. This is eye opening as Dyer and McKeon aim their focus more on the doctors and medical team rather than the villains they’re healing. The story is also a nice mix between the past and the present. It fills in just enough of the past events that it doesn’t drag the story down.
Likewise, Brama does a fantastic job with the art. I like the panel work, especially during Ethan’s flashback when he was a young boy with his grandfather. I am a fan of how the superheroes and villains look. They aren’t your typical, everyday looking characters. They have a bit of gritty style to them, which works for the subject matter of the story. It is more believable seeing these down to earth looking types getting medical attention than say a Superman or Captain America. Pereyra’s muted colors embraces the tone of the story and distinguishes between the flashbacks and the present seamlessly.
The Verdict:
Buy It! Medisin #1 is an original story that works! There’s always danger afoot as Malady watches these physicians like a hawk. Step out of line and you’re not getting fired, you’re gonna die! I probably wouldn’t ask for a raise either. The characters are interesting enough to keep my attention. There’s plenty of action and a bunch of questions that I’m looking forward to seeing answered! So if you’re searching for a different type of hero/villain story, then make sure you grab a copy of Medisin#1!
