Reviews»Comic Books»Shaper #1
shaper1
Kareem Ali 4.5

Shaper #1

 

  • The good

    Great character development and build up of intriguing world. Electrifying action with Shapers and Caliphate Army

  • The bad

    Didn't elaborate on why Shapers were targeted so vehemently. Learning curve to be an effective Shaper?

  • The ugly

  • Shaper #1 is the start of a new series written by Eric Heisserer about a teen named Spry whose life is transformed after finishing school when he learns that what he once thought was only fiction is very real. It’s set in the future where alien species interact and society has relatively enjoyed peace for some time. It opens up with Spry teaching his friend how to play Heroes of the Caliphate, a futuristic card game. The purpose of the game is to catch as many beings called Shapers as possible through strategy. But the game is also based on reality and recent history where the army hunted down all the Shapers in society and either captured or killed them. Mostly the latter. However, some believe the Shapers, beings who could transform at will to any creature, were only a myth and it was a way for the authorities to quell dissent or kill those whose activities they didn’t like. But the most pressing matter of the day for Spry isn’t this game but Career Day because employers from dozens of worlds are visiting to select students for their careers ahead. And despite Spry’s disciplinary record he still has the highest scores, and Niva believes he has an important opportunity coming his way even though he wants to join the Caliphate Army. But what’s really in store for Spry and is he ready for it?

    shaper1p1
    I’ve been scouring lists of new releases for a new series that had an interesting premise to check out, and when I came across Shaper #1 I knew I had to check it out. The combination of a futuristic society with aliens and shape-shifters seemed to be right up my alley. And I appreciated the start of this issue with Spry showing his friend the card game because even though it was a fake scenario it served as an entertaining way to introduce the reality and history of the society in terms of dealing with shapers. This would be delved into further due to Spry’s interest in joining the Caliphate Army and hearing about the political and social undertones involved in it. It also shed some light on society and the belief or disbelief in shapers. Spry also came off as an intriguing protagonist and not just the typical intelligent hard case. I also appreciated the pace of this issue early on as the characters and the world was built up to create an engrossing story and environment. And the action would pick up towards the end of the issue, and without giving anything away, I was impressed with Shaper abilities and I’m looking forward to seeing more of that. This was a great start to the series to make me interested so I hope it keeps it up.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Shaper #1 is a solid start to the series and not only develops the characters very well but creates an interesting environment full of intrigue and underlying societal issues. The way Shaper’s history is shown is entertaining and makes it simple to follow along while showing the severity of these actions. And Spry comes off as an intriguing protagonist and not a carbon copy of an archetype. And Felipe Massafera’s artwork works wonderfully with the nature of Shapers. I don’t know yet where this series will ultimately end up but if the start is any indication then I believe I’m going to enjoy this ride.

     

    Release Date:3/18/15

    Writer: Eric Heisserrer

    Artist: Felipe Massafera

  • Rating ( 9.25 )
  • Total score 9.3

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