Review: Sundowners #1

Sundowners #1

Script: Tim Seeley
Art: Jim Terry
Colors: Sean Dove
Lettering: Crank!
Publisher: Dark Horse

With a title like Sundowners, I’ll admit I was expecting a vampire story, but this new offering from Dark Horse Comics owes more to Fight Club than Dracula. While undoubtedly an ensemble piece, we’re introduced to the world of the Sundowners through the eyes of disgraced psychologist, David “Shreds” Shrejic, who’s taken to running support groups as an alternative to his old job. The Sundowners Support Group is for individuals who believe they are superheroes of a sort, some of whom possess extraordinary abilities. David dismisses their claims with a laundry list of possible causes for their delusions, hoping to make a study of what he sees as a new, undiagnosed disorder.

It’s an interesting premise, if not necessarily a new one, but the narrative creates just enough tension that the reader is left wondering if David’s right or wrong in his assumptions throughout the issue–not an easy feat. While there’s a fair bit of world building at play, everything feels very lived in, eschewing some of the awkwardness that often comes with first issues for new properties. I’m a stranger to Seeley’s work, having only read an issue of DC’s Grayson prior to this, but he delivers a solid story supported by Terry and Dove’s clear artwork. Although it’s not an especially pretty book, I’ll always sacrifice beauty in the name of knowing what the heck’s going on, and to that end, Terry is a great storyteller.

My one real critique is reserved for the handling of most of the female characters, whose stories, with one clear exception, seem to revolve more around what they’re wearing than anything else. While I hope this approach is dropped in future instalments, as these women are otherwise intriguing, the concept of Sundowners and the character of David are strong enough to keep me interested through at least the first arc.

Sundowners #1, from Dark Horse Comics, will be available August 27, 2014.