The Cape: The Fallen #1 Review

Writer: Jason Ciaramella
Artist: Zach Howard
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: July 4, 2018
Cover Price: $3.99
Review by: Pauly P

What IDW Said:

During the original tale told in Joe Hill's The Cape, our protagonist-turned-antisocial antagonist Eric disappeared for three days as he got comfortable with his new abilities? Where did he go? What did he do? And more importantly, who died during this period? The original creators return to tell a hyper-detailed and hyper-grim story of this oh-sol-lost period....

If you want a big turnout at your LAME... err I mean LARP [Live Action Role Play] party, post it someplace other than an AOL message board!

Eric has been gone for three days and some crazy shit has happened. We see him fly in under a crescent moon, unshaven and with a lightning bolt cape and a knock-off punisher t-shirt.  Where’s he been? What’s he been up to? Are there really bears in the Northeast? Do they really fall on people and kill them? Let’s dive in and see if we can get some answers.

Flashback to an unspecified time in the past: Eric’s dad is taking him and his brother away from Boston to a quaint, yet ramshackle cabin in the woods. Three rules: don’t go out alone, don’t go out at night, and have fun! Unspoken rule 4: bears in the woods aren’t like Yogi and Boo Boo. Now: Eric crashes a LAME... erm, I mean LARP party in the woods. He joins their party and decides to be a sweet dark mage- the party is having their inaugural cosplay and sword fighting in the morning. Guess what? His friend who was a dick to him in school happens to be there and leaves him some IDW comics to keep him company in his tent. Great!

Meanwhile, at night, Eric has psychedelic nightmares about killing his old girlfriend. What a bad trip!

Bits and pieces:

This is an odd story. One issue down and there’s no real reason to care about the protagonist or his issues. The pacing is slow and it doesn’t really set anything up. Art is muddy which I don’t care for. Hopefully, this picks up soon and gets the creepy mystery vibe it is trying for.

5.5/10