Rogues #1 Review

 

The Coldness of Our Discontent

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Leomacs, Matheus Lopes, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Cover Price: $6.99

Release Date: March 23, 2022

Here at Weird Science, we don't deal a lot with the Black Label stuff.  However, I am a fan of the Rogues, and since we haven't gotten a ton of them in the regular books recently, I decided to at least read Rogues #1 by Joshua Williamson, and if I liked it, even review it.  I guess that's a bit of a spoiler, but here we go with the review...

Rogues #1 opens with a flashback scene, and I think the first thing readers will notice is the art.  Leomacs has a gritty, dirty style which, combined with the story, makes me think of things like All-Star Section Eight.  That is not a bad thing, by the way.

After a fun bar fight-filled intro, we go forward ten years to see how shitty life has been for Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold.  It plays off the idea of an ex-con trying to get through life, but doesn't come off heavy-handed.  Instead, Joshua Williamson makes the reader care for Snart, even if no one else does.  Unfortunately, that includes his sister, Lisa (Golden Glider), but after a tiny bit of convincing, it's time to get the old gang back together!

This first issue is all about reforming the Rogues for that last big score.  We go down the list of usual suspects, but Williamson throws in some new ones to replace some who unfortunately passed away.  It gives the book an Oceans Eleven feel, but overall, this book is something fans of the recent Suicide Squad movie and Peacemaker show should check out.  It is easy to envision this being it's own show as you see the new (kind of old) Rogues get together, find out their mission and get on with it.

Of course, not everything goes to plan right away, but after Snart shocks them out of their current ways of thinking, you believe they might be able to pull this last job off.  Speaking of that, the job is crazy, surely will not go off as planned, and is sure to have a twist or two by the end.  I can't wait to see what's going on once they get to where they are going and who they will go up against.

Overall, this was a good start to a book with humor mixed with a little bit of heart, cool art, and great characters.  I will be checking out the next issue and maybe can even convince Eric to talk about it on the podcast.

Bits and Pieces:

Rogues #1 was a good start to a book that feels like the recent Suicide Squad movie and Peacemaker show.  It has honor and heart, and Joshua Williamson seems to be having as much fun writing it as I did reading it.  I highly recommend it.

8.8/10