Black Manta #1 Review

 

Headaches and Pirates

Writer: Chuck Brown

Artist: Valentine De Landro

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 7, 2021

I'm not going to fake the funk and tell you that Black Manta is one of my favorite villains.  I think he is cool, and I love his colossal helmet, but overall, he is probably somewhere in the teens in my overall rankings.  After the recent Aquaman Anniversary issue, I am intrigued to see what Chuck Brown's story is all about.  After reading it, I am still intrigued, but maybe not in the way you are thinking. So let's jump into the review...

The issue opens with a sparse bit of narration that suggests Black Manta is at a crossroads.  I want to give Brown props for allowing Valentine de Landro's art to set the mood here and while I am not a huge fan of the style, it does a decent job of storytelling.

As far as the story goes, Brown gives us a couple of different narratives that should connect to Black Manta and the strange relic that he and his broker, Gallous, have found, lost, and found again, but Brown throws a lot of it at the reader cold.  There is a mystery here, but without more story and context, most readers will end up throwing up their hands and yelling, "what the hell is going on here?"

There is enough here to get intrigued, and I will certainly be picking up the next issue, but I haven't figured out yet if it's because I liked this first issue or I want not to be left so confused.  I guess I will try to figure that out as we go along.

I guess the most important thing is whether or not this is a good Black Manta issue.  The scenes he is in feel right, and I like how Brown writes the character, but overall, I need more to get a genuine opinion on it.

That's my struggle with this issue.  I don't know what to make of it.  I don't hate it, but I wouldn't say I like how loose Brown is playing with the setup.  I enjoyed the parts with Black Manta but didn't enjoy feeling like I have no idea what's going on, especially with a limited series.  I said it already, but I'm not fond of the art much in the issue, but that's more personal, and your mileage may vary.

Bits and Pieces:

Black Manta #1 is a quick read that sets up a mystery, but a lot of that has to do with a lack of information from Chuck Brown.  I am a dummy, but I usually have a bit of a grasp of what I just read after putting it down.  However, this one had me stumped.  Time will tell whether that is good or bad, but this story might be one to wait on a bit.

5.5/10