Dragonfly & Dragonflyman #1: The Alpha and the Omega

Dragonfly & Dragonflyman #1 is not the type of comic I generally pick up. As much as I love camp and contrast, I tend against seeking it out in comics books for reasons that aren’t quite quantifiable. When this issue passed in front of me, I expected to enjoy it but soon forget it, like I had with many other “similar” comics.

This issue with this theory, I soon found out, was that there’s nothing quite similar about Dragonfly & Dragonflyman #1 to any comic. It stands on its own, a rare unique idea in the postmodern age of comic books. There have been stories of alternate universes; there have been stories of disgruntled sidekicks; there have definitely been stories of heroes gone bad. However, the combination thereof within the pages of Dragonfly & Dragonflyman #1 makes me very curious as to what will happen next, a rare feat for a book that portrays such a dichotomy in storytelling.

I greatly enjoyed hearing the perspective of sidekick Stinger in the Earth-Omega storyline of this issue. Too often, sidekicks are forgotten until it’s too late. We only ever see the dramatic build of resentment in flashbacks after they’ve potentially gone bad. To see the growing (and justified!) resentment of Stinger is refreshing. The editor’s note at the end of the issue puts things into sharp perspective; for the first time, I am explicitly advising people to read the editor’s note!

The art is sharp and the variation in style and color clearly reflect the changes in tone when the reality shifts from Earth-Omega to Earth-Alpha. This is helpful, as I did have some momentary issues discerning when and where it changed, until I got my bearings with the story style. That was the only issue I had with this book, honestly, and I would largely chalk that up to my own state of mind upon reading it. If you pay attention, there shouldn’t be any confusion.