THIRD EYE REVIEW: THE INTREPIDS #1 from IMAGE COMICS

QUIRKY, PULPY, AWESOME.

We’ve been impressed by many of the new series Image has been popping out these days, but the Intrepids really got us stoked this week. This series is able to do that rare thing where a story straddles the line of quirky humor, and serious adventure to make a believable, and addictive read.

The story centers around a group of runaways who were taken in as teenagers, and raised by an inventor named Dante. This rag-tag gang of friends work with Dante to bust up the growing population of mad scientists intent on doing horrible things to the world. And, this is where the fun comes in… cybernetic giant grizzly bears, girls in jetpacks blasting rayguns, and snappy dialogue mix so well together that the Intrepids really does have a personality of it’s own.

While the writing on the book is sharp, and we dig it, the art really is what grabbed us from the get go. The series has a very unique, and stylized look to it that helps further pull you into the pulpy sci-fi atmosphere of the story. In other words: the art is a perfect fit for the tone of the story. Quirky, stylized, and unique.. while still able to convey a sense of action and adventure, without coming off as slapsticky.

All in all, we highly recommend this one to those of you who dig stuff like The Goon, Atomic Robo, Umbrella Academy, Chew, Hellboy, and the Sixth Gun. It’s the same kind of unique, genre-defying storytelling that these characters all have, with the same kind of humor.

Intrepids #1 is in stock and on sale as of Wednesday 3/2/11 here at Third Eye. Make sure to snag your copy quick, as this one has already sold out at the distributor’s, and will be going to a second print.