by tonydoug wright

Foreshadow: Full Speed (Creative Elamentz)

Writers: Jemir Robert Johnson, Vin Varvara, and Bill Young
Artists: Matthew Wilbekin, Bill Young, Jon Woodward, Tina Lugo, Joe Manzella, Victor Claudio, Luis Sierra, and Winston Blakely

Creative Elamentz is an independent comic book company based out of the Bronx and they have developed various superhero and cops and robbers stories featuring African-American heroes. Last year, the creative team of Jemir Robert Johnson, Vin Varvara, and Bill Young put some comic book ideas together in a collection of works titled Foreshadow. Unfortunately, Foreshadow suffered from poor artwork and at times some uninspired writing. Creative Elamentz have polished their skills and has released a second collection of works titled Foreshadow: Full Speed.

This anthology features a wide variety of superheroes and Foreshadow: Full Speed begins with another installment of the Vigilance series, which follows the adventures of a superhero named Vigilance in the city of Saber Wolf. Part Silver Surfer and part Human Torch, Vigilance faces an army of rogues known as The Order of Chaos. Johnson relies more upon visuals than dialogue and the end result is an action-packed effort that is a throwback to the Golden Age and Silver Age of Marvel and DC. Vigilance has the potential to be a good superhero story, but it suffers from Matthew Wilbekin’s artwork which fails to capture the excitement and adventure.

Johnson is the writer of the second story, Agilic, which follows the adventures of Shiro Takata, a teenager who is being trained by a man named Mr. Brooks to be a vigilante. Takata undergoes a transformation from teenager to crime-fighter and battles the neighborhood thugs. Agilic, much like Vigilance, is another fast-paced comic book featuring panel after panel of battles. Once again, Johnson has balanced the dialogue and action, but in this story Jon Woodward has provided an improved visual setting.

The Howler, written by Vin Varvara with artwork by Bill Young, is a tale of a young man running from a troubled past due to his transformations into a wolf-like beast. During the young man’s adventures, he meets another person who also suffers from the same condition, which leads to both men transforming into wild beats and fighting a vicious battle. Varvara and Young have an interesting story, but the biggest problem with The Howler is the poor lettering which is at times impossible to read because of a small font size and due to a poor choice of font style.

A teenage girl follows in the footsteps of her superhero grandfather and fights crime in Meanstreak, written by Johnson with artwork by Tina Lugo. Meanstreak is a good introduction to a Flash-like character that uses super speed to fight crime. Lugo’s artwork seems to have Manga inspirations, but she does have potential to be a good artist for Creative Elamentz.

Varvara and Johnson continue the collection with two additional superhero stories, Cold Steel and Knightshield. Following those stories is Case Files: J Nova, truly the gem of the collection, written by Johnson with artwork by Luis Sierra. This gritty crime story is about a young woman who has the ability to read the minds of everyone she meets. Although Johnson favors superhero battles, he does have a good crime noir writing style and hopefully there will be more editions of J Nova in the future. Also, Sierra’s artwork is the best of the bunch and his sharp black and white style blends well with Johnson’s story.

The final two stories in Foreshadow: Full Speed is Murder By Sunrise and Gonz Force. Murder By Sunrise is not a comic book, but instead it is a short story by Johnson about The Midnight Phantom, a 1930s crime fighter. This story is an odd fit into the collection and it could have been a better comic book than a short story because Murder By Sunrise is not that engaging. The last story is Gonz Force by Bill Young. This science-fiction story follows the journey of Tami Zaker, the only Earthling to survive the cataclysmic destruction of Earth.

Foreshadow: Full Speed is another step in the right direction for Creative Elamentz. Johnson and Varvara have been able to successfully blend the Golden and Silver Age of comic books with a hip-hop attitude. What makes these stories even more special is the fact that Creative Elamentz has placed minorities in the spotlight as heroes and not as token sidekicks. The writing of Johnson and Varvara has improved slightly, while the artwork is truly a hit or miss effort. If Creative Elamentz can step up the artwork then they will find the success they truly deserve. Foreshadow: Full Speed will appeal to readers looking for action-packed superhero stories with a hip urban edge.