Oliver is a seemingly typical 12 year old boy… except for a mysterious family history that seems to start and end with his mother, and unexplainable powers, that is. He can do things other boys can’t, to the point of landing him in some trouble. Baffled by the surreal cartoonish nature of his abilities and followed by a murder of peculiar crows, the mystery behind Oliver’s family history finally unfolds! Uncanny Valley #1 has the basic concept of stories we’ve seen before but teases it all out making readers want to come back for more.
Tony Fleecs is on a roll. Uncanny Valley #1 is another home run of a debut and hints at a series that could potentially be a lot of fun. Fleecs takes some familiar concepts and mixes them in a way that delivers entertainment. He’s done it recently with Local Man, Feral, and Stray Dogs, and Uncanny Valley looks to be no different.
Oliver is presented as a kid who’s at a new school and wants to fit in. That results in disruptions, three strikes, that gets him suspended. But, Fleecs teases more and as Oliver tells his side of things, each incident come together to create a pattern and tease what’s going on. That’s confirmed later as Oliver and his mother are attacked and a strange visitor has to save them. Fleecs has mixed the story of a boy new in school with The Terminator and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. While things aren’t completely laid out for readers, there’s enough to connect the dots as to what’s going on. It’s a familiar concept and trope done up in a new and interesting way.
Dave Wachter‘s art with lettering by Pat Brosseau is fantastic. The issue does a great job blending two worlds together so they both work and both seem like two different worlds. Much like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the “toons” look just a bit different than the people around them, they pop off the page in this case. The small teases through the art help put it all together and Brosseau’s lettering is the cherry on top giving everything its own personality and world.
Uncanny Valley #1 is a fantastic start. The comic is a great concept, some fun, some humor, some heart, and a lot of action. It’s another sure hit from Fleecs who has been knocking them out of the park and this cements him as one of the top creators to watch for this year.
Story: Tony Fleecs Art: Dave Wachter Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
Source: Graphic Policy
