Moon Man #1 is an exciting entry into the world of superheroes. It harkens back to classic comic book origins with a modern twist, and it’s a strong premiere issue with lots of promise.
The issue revolves around Ramon, an astronaut whose team is now famous for their disappearance when returning to earth. Dropping readers right into Ramon completing his medical screenings after landing, it’s easy to piece together that there’s tension from the return to earth. There’s mystery as to what happened when the crew vanished for a few minutes and it’s a foundation for much of this issue.
The script is by Scott Mescudi and Kyle Higgins, although readers may know Mescudi by another name—rapper Kid Cudi. While artists such as movie stars or musicians going into comics can come off as gimmicky, the best way to describe this issue is “intentional.” There is clearly care in the crafting of a new comic book character and while Kyle Higgins likely contributed his veteran comic book writing skills to help shape this series, I suspect that Mescudi’s love of comics very much is what this story is going to be attributed to. (Also, there are several panels with colors that mirror Kid Cudi’s appropriately named album, Man on the Moon, so that’s a welcomed addition.)
There’s quite a bit of world building in this issue and it does a great job at creating intrigue and setting up potential plot points for subsequent issues. Ramon is a likable enough character and there’s enough for readers to get excited to follow him on his journey. Mescudi and Higgins are clearly a strong team and this issue shows it.
In addition to the writing, the art is also visually stunning as character designs and colors make the panels pop off of the page. Artist Marco Locati and colorist Igor Monti are a dynamic creative combo that present readers with a refreshing style and the last few pages definitely highlight awesome work. This is all balanced with lettering done by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou—whose work is always well done in any series he is in.
