Zero Jumper #1 Review

Juno and the Power Source

Written by: Patrick Mullholland
Art by: Patrick Mullholland
Colors by: Patrick Mullholland
Published by: Alterna Comics
Reviewed by: Andrew McAvoy

Zero Jumper is a new 4 issue mini-series from Alterna Comics, who as well as producing new and exciting comics also champion the cause of bringing back newsprint (although their comics are available digitally too). So for this review, I went back to my youth, walked to my local comic book store at lunchtime and read a new release on newsprint for the first time in a long time. Let's see how the issue was.



Happily, there was so much that I enjoyed in relation to the issue (as well as that romantic new comic smell). Let's start with the art which was very good. The first point to make is the dynamism that is displayed through the art - this is a very action-packed book - there is a lot of soaring and diving and bashing into things. The art style allows you to feel every whoosh and bump. Importantly though there is also a rather fine and intricate style brought to bear on the detail of the central character Juno. I particularly noticed the detailed features of her face, Mullholland has been able to capture very expressive detail.

The coloring was to my tastes as well. I particularly liked the choices of pastel blues and pinks, but also the renditions of space and the sand colors of the desert. Also worth noting are the different shades used to depict the sky, there is a nice little three-panel sequence which depicts nightfall, night and morning, and it is just beautiful.

Most of all though, this book is quite funny. Juno is quite an innocent, but smart-ass type and I loved her banter with the little floating orb companion. There is a nice Booster Gold and Skeets vibe about it. Elsewhere the main story is an ambitious one centered around Juno's aim to go back in time and save humanity from extinction. To do so she needs to harness an ancient power source. She aims to harness Zero Point energy to achieve that aim. The power source is obtained with difficulty and struggles on a barren landscape.

Bits and Pieces:

A good story, great art and colored well, this is a great start to this mini-series and is all the more impressive for being the work of one man. I enjoyed it, and surprisingly given the nostalgia I referred to above in terms of format, there is nothing old-fashioned about this book. It is contemporary and modern. Well worth checking out from your LCBS or on digital.

8.2/10