by tonydoug wright

Wild Boys #1 (Masterpiece Comics)

Writer: Ace Masters
Artist: Irapuan
Letters: Michelle Fiorucci

Masterpiece Comics has been a company waiting for the moment where they strike gold. Fueled by a do-it-yourself attitude their science-fiction based comic books are action packed adventures featuring a hero on the run from the authorities or some mysterious figure. This may be an exciting time for Masterpiece Comics because owner and writer Ace Masters has released quite possibly his finest work to date. Wild Boys, an apocalyptic adventure set in the future, follows the adventures of seven super humans developed by the military to protect the world. Samson the strong man, Tigerclaw the vicious human-tiger warrior, Blast the absorbing energy man, Soothsayer the elusive mute, Morph the shape shifter, Stump the vertically challenged flame thrower, and Adam Alpha the invincible leader were created to put an end to villainy but were placed in suspended animation due to public fear of their powers. While the seven super humans were in suspended animation, Earth was invaded by a brutal race of aliens known as the Jovarn. Humanity was all but wiped out, but somehow the seven were brought back to life just in time to fight the evil alien empire. Two scientists try to track down the seven heroes with the hopes that they will aid humanity in the fight against the Jovarn.

The first issue of Wild Boys is titled “Dawn of the Wild” and it is an exciting debut by Ace Masters and Irapaun. Masters has written a good story that gives the reader plenty of background information on the heroes and their nemesis. Usually first issues do what they can to introduce the readers to a story but most importantly they have to capture the reader so that they come back for more. Although Masters has a great script, it is complimented well by Irapuan’s art which is definitely the best that Masterpiece Comics has to offer. Irapuan has created a great apocalyptic landscape where the planet has been devastated by years of endless battles. Wild Boys could become the best title from Masterpiece Comics, and if Masters and Irapaun continue to impress then this could be one of the best independent comic books for 2007.

Fireblast #1 and #2 (Masterpiece Comics)

Writer: Ace Masters
Artist: Nichx
Letters: Michelle Fiorucci

There are peaks and there are valleys at Masterpiece Comics. They are not immune to inconsistencies and in all fairness no comic book company is immune from inconsistency. Ace Masters is the leader at Masterpiece Comics and he has taken up the task of being the main creator and writer for his company. The most notable titles from Masterpiece Comics are Wild Boys and Fireblast. On the positive side, Wild Boys is a surprisingly good superhero saga while Fireblast is definitely a science-fiction detective work in progress.

Fireblast #1 and #2 are a continuation of issue #0 where readers were introduced to Mack Fire, a down-on-his-luck detective struggling to keep his new detective agency afloat. This Thirtieth Century story is set on Mars where Fire has begun a new career after leaving the military. Aided by a female hologram named Perfecta, Fire accepts a case from a woman looking for her lost husband. Captain Gorbachev has mysteriously disappeared from his spacecraft and Fire is asked to discover his whereabouts. Fire travels to a spaceport to find out anything he can on the disappearance of Captain Gorbachev, but he soon discovers that an alien spacecraft disguised as a meteor in the vicinity may be the location of Captain Gorbachev. Fire lands on the camouflaged ship and is taken into custody by Emperor Hann-II-Ball and discovers the truth about what happened to Captain Gorbachev.

On one hand, Masters has a witty detective saga set in the future, while on the other hand, Masters has an unexciting detective saga set in the future. Masters has developed Fire into a sarcastic hero with some appeal but he is surrounded by a poor supporting cast. Perfecta is a good sidekick for Fire, but in issues #1 and #2 she has gone from being the straight-laced advisor to a love sick clichéd female character. Another problem with Fireblast is the art from Nichx. This story is set in the Thirtieth Century, but the artwork shows little imagination for a story set on Mars. The background can best be described as basic and for a company that specializes in science-fiction comic books this is somewhat of a letdown. Fireblast may be flawed but there is a great deal of promise with this comic book because Masters has improved his writing skills and Masterpiece Comics refuses to quit. Keep an eye on Masters and Masterpiece Comics because they will continue to gain momentum in the industry.