Echo: Seeker of Truth #1 – New Echoes in Purple Packaging

Echo: Seeker of Truth #1 is a celebration of Echo as a character and as a Native American on her father’s side. The issue tells a self-contained story centering around a strange new ability and a mind-controlling cult led by an unexpected foe. The artwork and colors brought to life by Jim Terry (Sundowners) and Elisabetta D’Amico (Avengers Assemble) paint a vivid picture of life in the city of angels and the dark undercurrent of cult behavior at the same time. Taboo and B. Earl do Echo justice in a heroic story of familial love and a tradition-honoring crusade against manipulation and exploitation.

While I found some of the story’s twists and turns predictable, such as the reveal of the mind-controlling cult’s figurehead, ultimately the story works well for a number of reasons, such as Echo’s personality and care for her cousin driving the narrative, the believability of the gullible cultists, and the mysterious new power that slowly becomes more and more apparent throughout the course of the story. A new ability that fits Echo like a glove and can only be described as echoes of other people, allowing her to see the truth in a lie and the human in the inhumane. It’s a great addition to an already well-rounded and defined character that doesn’t overload her with a mixed bag of tricks like many in the medium fall prey to.

The first part of an additional story to be continued in Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic #64-69 is also included in Echo: Seeker of Truth’s 32-page count, written by Melissa Flores (The Dead Lucky) with art by Kyle Charles (‘68) and Carlos Lopez (The Last Wolverine). While short, the additional story entitled “Echo: Dream Descent Part 1” is a nice mile marker towards Echo’s future in Marvel Comics, giving the character life beyond the pages of Echo: Seeker of Truth.