After thedebilitating attack on the U.S. infrastructure by Jackal, the nation is plunged into a technological, societal and literaldarkness. The Victoriesfrom Michael Avon Oeming is an ongoing series from Dark Horse Comics. Michael Avon Oeming is the co-creator of Powersand like Jimmie Robinson from Five Weapons, Michael is the writer, artist and cover artist of this series.

The Victories: Transhuman #1 does not require background knowledge of the previous Victories titles. The opening is simple: the world has been set back a hundred years to a time before electricity worked. In the darkness,super heroescontinue their fight for safety and villians try to gain what little wealth there still might be. Its a dark world, and not just because all the lights are out. Its not even thesupervillainsthat make it dark, but a general weightiness to theme of The Victories.

One pervasive theme is the perception of image. Whether it be how someone views another or self-image, its clear is is not a Sunday morning comic for simple reading. The Victoriesaddresses a number of topics that comic books either avoid or bury so deep within metaphors they can be lost. While the messages are clear, its a shame the story wasnt as straightforward.

Off for a morning run, over the river.

The story starts off with an open sequence, catching up to the current events and situation. The situation is the world is without power and all the things that a world in the dark bring with it. The Victories: Transhuman #1 immediately delve into the heady topics as it isarguedthat in the darkness is when humanitytrulycan shine. The dark and almost rough-style of artwork fits perfectly with these themes. Its a shame that even something as simple as who is speaking can be confusing. The transition from one internal dialogue speaker to another is hardlydelineated, to the point where slight re-coloring of thespeechbubbles can be missed for a pane or two.

The world-encompassing theme of darkness and humanity is voiced by the once-hero The Strike. Once a hero, hes now better suited to this worldwithoutlight,preferringthe shadows.The themes are not justintrospectiveon a humanity-level, but can delve down to the character level as well. The main superheroprotagonistof this issue is D.D. Mau, a super speed woman with a self-image issue. While shes fast, strong and near-invulnerable her powers come at the cost of a metabolism that requires her to constantly fight gaining excessive weight. Shes a foul-mouthed dirty-minded woman who has issues that would be more than most people could take; so its a good thing D.D. is a hero then. Shes not the only one with problems, but its the flawsthatmake the heros so great, so they wont be spoiled here.

Thats good, gloat about victory before you actually win smart.

While the story might be a bit confusing, it strangely works for The Victories. The themes of humanity and self deserve a closer look and its commendable that these issues are addressed in such a fashion. This is not for children, even without the foul language Michael Avon Oemings artistic workcontainssalacious images. If it werent for the emphatic and appropriate use of these images they might border on excessive. The Victories artwork, though rough and not the greatest of their style, does serve to reflect the nature of the comic in a way that adds value to a story. Its a style that would otherwise be unfavorable if not for the plot.

The action and superheroes will attract a certain crowd, even the frequent cursing and sexual images being unafraidto show skin will attract readers. Its a shame that the heavy subject matter and confusingstorylinewill probably turn a number of readers off toThe Victories: Transhuman #1. If you like colorful language with a side of action and sex, and want to maybe even walk away with a few introspective musings, then this is by far one of the mostintriguingcomics on the market today.

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The Victories: Transhuman #1: Review (Comic) | Front Towards Gamer