City Boy #1 Review

   

Written by: Greg Pak
Art by: Minkyu Jung
Colors by: Sunny Gho
Letters by: Wes Abbott
Cover art by: Minkyu Jung, Sunny Gho
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: May 23, 2023

City Boy #1 unveils the origin story of Cameron - a young man imbued with the power to see everyone and everything in the city, and when necessary, able to bend the shape of the streets and buildings around him.
Is It Good?

Okay, Greg Pak has me on board. Admittedly, when City Boy recently popped up in one of the Lazarus Planet anthologies, his introduction didn't instill confidence that City Boy was the next big thing. His powers are... weird. However, Pak uses every scrap of space in City Boy #1 to give Cameron a proper origin story and give readers a clear picture of how formidable Cameron can be.

The story begins with trust issues. Abandoned by his mother at a young age, Cameron learned to live on his own, metaphorically putting up city walls between him and anyone who might get close. When young Cameron, living life on the streets by dumpster-diving and petty-thieving, sneaks into a mad scientist experiment in progress, he accidentally gets imbued with a telepathic/telekinetic connection to the city.

"Huh? Wha...? What does that mean?" you rightly wonder. It means he can see everyone and everything in the city - lost things, hidden things, buried things, valuable things, and dangerous things. Cameron can also reshape the buildings, streets, and molecular fabric of the city around him in any way he can imagine, like Magneto with concrete and bricks. Yes, it sounds funky, but it looks cooler than it sounds.

Of course, a power like Cameron's could make a crime boss a lot of money, so Cameron's first challenge is dealing with the local gangster, Boss Chung.

Pak's writing is tight, efficient, and almost melodic in its delivery. Minkyu Jung's art presents memorable characters, dramatic composition, and gritty action. Also, give big props to Sunny Gho for outstanding coloring work, especially during the city-warping action.

Admittedly, I wasn't looking forward to this title due to Cameron's lackluster introduction in Lazarus Planet, but Greg Pak turned this character around.


About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

City Boy #1 is a dead-solid perfect origin story for DC's latest hero. Greg Pak packs motivation, depth, and intrigue into every page, and the artwork is Grade-A. If you were intending to pass on City Boy after his odd introduction in Lazarus Planet, this comic may change your mind.

8.5/10