Crime Syndicate #1: Stayin’ Alive

You’re probably gonna want to sit down for this one. Author Andy Schmidt has proven that the Crime Syndicate is far superior when it comes to anti-JLAs over the over-hyped Authority. Set on Earth-3 in the new DC multiverse, this is probably the most gritty, brutal Infinite Frontier book that I’ve read so far, but the book never crosses the “makes you want to puke” threshold. It takes some very different turns than the versions that have come before, and it’s all a much-needed change of pace for this franchise. Even in the first issue, Schmidt manages to introduce several new characters, a new Earth, and even a new universe all while telling a cohesive story and the beginning of an adventure that is sure to please any audience that picks it up. One of my favorite things about this issue is that he manages to move other, more recent bits of DCU lore into the book, so it’s not quite the same as its previous incarnations. Even though it’s an “opposite Earth,” it’s nice that some of the other aspects of “our” Earth made it into this one. I seriously can’t wait to read the rest of this series, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be as good as this first issue is. 

Kieran McKeown & Dexter Vines handle the art chores on the main story, which reminds me of Bart Sears during his JLI days, everything is dynamic and the characters come at you with bold poses that make you think they’re going to fly off the page or suck you into the book, Great art that totally matches the great story that’s told this issue. Oh, I almost forgot, there’s some guy named Bryan Hitch that draws a back-up story. He’s alright, but I don’t really see him going anywhere in the comics industry. 😉