With how many different characters DC Comics has in their lineup from old to new it is surprising that one of their new Dawn Of DC series stars a cast of unknowns. The Vigil does not appear to be tied to any existing franchise. That is a big change from how DC Comics normally approaches new series launches. With DC Comics breaking out of the norm will The Vigil series be able to stand on its own? Find out with our review of The Vigil #1.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Ram V
Artist: Lalit Kumar Sharma
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
SOLICITATION SYNOPSIS
“Who Are The Vigil?
The shipping vessel Eastwind was taken captive by pirates off the coast of Thailand. 24 hours after the crew had been taken hostage, before communications had been established or any demands made, the crew reported an intervention by a group of unknown individuals. Amid other bizarre claims by the crew, are reports of an individual who changed his appearance at will and a woman who seemingly dodged bullets. Once the pirates were taken out, no attempts were made at rescuing the crew.
There have long been rumors rogue metahumans targeting weaponized illegal technology. With some hinting that they call themselves The Vigil. What were they after? Why did they intervene? Are there metas among us?” – DC Comics
REVIEW
Breaking out of your normal routine can be a good thing. That is exactly what The Vigil #1 accomplishes for DC Comics as Ram V and Lalit Kumar Sharma break away from tradition to launch this brand-new series. We are presented with a group of characters that immediately capture your interest through an impressive presentation.
The greatest compliment to what Ram V and Sharma are able to accomplish is how well they capture The Vigil #1 feeling like it takes place in the DC Universe. There is both look and tone to the entire presentation of this first issue that has elements to what we see in DCU comics as we’ve seen from series like Checkmate. At the same time, Ram V and Sharma make sure that the feeling that this is something completely new, and not tied to another DCU franchise, comes through the story.
Throughout Ram V and Sharma capture how a secret spy agency would operate in the DCU. There isn’t ever a point where there is filler content. Everything in this issue is to get over how the spy world in which The Vigil group operates. There are a lot of elements of the spy world that tap into the secret nature of how these types of organizations would operate. Add in how The Vigil exists in a world where superheroes and Gods exist we see how efficiency is a key to their operation standards.
Going between getting over how The Vigil as an organization operates and the action of two of the cover characters, Dodge and Saya, was balanced well. As soon as it feels we are getting too much of an information dump we see Dodge and Saya as Vigil operatives get to work. This balance allows the information we get about The Vigil to have a greater context as we see how their methods are put into practice.
All of this works thanks to how Dodge and Saya are established as badass superhuman spies. The way they go about taking down a boat overrun with pirates was well done by Sharma’s artwork. We got to see the different fighting styles that Dodge and Saya operate. Dodge is more of the badass fighter while Saya is shown to work more from the shadows. Having these differences in approaches presents the idea that The Vigil utilizes people with different skill sets to get the job done.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Vigil #1 is a strong debut for the new Dawn Of DC series. Ram V and Lalit Kumar Sharma successfully introduce us to how you can mix the world of espionage with the DC Universe. If they can carry this momentum for future issues, The Vigil can become one of the standout series for DC Comics.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10