Cap Stone #1
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The good
Engrossing backstory and character development. Story build up inspires confidence about series. Gorgeous artwork
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The bad
Story doesn't seem to connect to Captain Stone until end so he's forgotten majority of issue
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The ugly
- Total score
Cap Stone #1 is the first issue in a new series written by Liam Sharp and Christina McCormack about the world’s first and only superhero disappearing after being ridiculed for his claim that the world was in danger. It opens up with the story of Charlie Chance and how she became the woman she is, i.e. the infamous Pet. She recounts her life growing up and how her father used to teach her about chess techniques and the subtleties of the game. However, he wasn’t doing it so she could one day become a chess master but so she could use it in life, or to be more specific, use it in their heists. Her father was a playboy millionaire who settled down once he met her mother. But he was also secretly the Craven Panther, a master burglar, and he started taking her on his heists when she turned six without her mother’s knowledge. So in both cases it was about the thrill of the hunt to her, and now as an adult not much has changed about that for her. Even though she has been living in the mountains above Santa Barbara for over a decade, the thrill of the hunt is now in the form of hunting in the wilderness. But things will soon change for her again as the story of Captain Stone intersects with her life and she comes face to face with previously unknown truths from her past. Who is the mysterious Captain Stone, and why has he disappeared?
The idea of the world’s first and only superhero disappearing due to a claim of the world being in danger was interesting to me because the question of whether or not he was correct was still up in the air. So could he have vanished because of embarrassment, was he preparing, or was it something more sinister at work? This issue didn’t focus on that at all, and at one point I honestly wondered if I was reading the wrong comic book because it had nothing to do with him throughout most of it. But that was due to feeling so engrossed in this tale of the Pet’s history that I kinda wanted it to be about that and her current life. The beautiful writing by Christina McCormack and Liam Sharp coupled with the latter’s gorgeous artwork made it so easy to be drawn into this tale. The beautifully drawn landscapes with an eagle soaring or Charlie Chance stalking her prey in an aesthetically pleasing manner captured my imagination and took me exactly where the story was urging. And the story would move forward from that, chronicling some of her exploits with her father, how things changed and who she became. In terms of giving someone’s backstory and examining a character this was excellent and thorough. So the only problem I had was that it didn’t seem to connect at all to Captain Stone’s story or his disappearance. It does tie into it eventually, and of course I won’t give away any spoilers. But it’s actually a very good reason and has me excited to see how things go. And it also made me appreciate this entire issue more with a second reading. I didn’t know what to expect coming into this issue but I’m definitely glad I read it because now I have another series I’ll be following closely, and hopefully I will enjoy all of it as much as I did this issue.
SUMMARY
Cap Stone #1 is a very engrossing issue about Charlie Chance’s life story and how she became the Pet. It’s an engaging story that details her thinking and her relationship with her father, the master thief Craven Panther. And the gorgeous artwork makes all of it that much more enjoyable. While reading it the first time I wasn’t sure how this was connected to Captain Stone nor did I have any idea how he was a superhero. However it ultimately did connect to him in a manner that would make the search for him in the next issue(s) that much more intense. So I’m glad I decided to read this issue because now I want to see where the story is headed and don’t want to miss anything.
Release Date: 12/17/14
Writers: Christina McCormack and Liam Sharp
Artist: Liam Sharp
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