BB Alternative Review Group #23 - Echo #1 (spoilers)

**Andreas** · 03-05-2008, 10:57 AM

* fine print at the bottom of post

This week we are reading: Echo #1 by Terry Moore (Abstract Studios, 03/05)

Our reviewers this week are:

Thudpucker - 5
Michael John Wheeler - 4
Ryan Walsh - 6.5
John Drake - 7
changingshades - 8

Next week we are reading: PictureBox Roundup Winter 2007 Part Two - New Engineering by Yuichi Yokoyama & Powr Mastrs Vol. 1 by C.F. (PictureBox, 10/31/07)

This week's companion thread: BB Review Group week 173 - Logan #1 Brian K. Vaughan and Eduardo Risso (Marvel, 03/05)

Upcoming: True Story, Swear to God Archives Vol. 1 by Tom Beland (Image, 2008 ), The Education of Hopey Glass HC by Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics, 2008 ), Skim HC by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books, 2008 ), Skyscrapers of the Midwest HC by Joshua W. Cotter (Adhouse Books, 2008 ), The Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw (Fantagraphics, 2008 ), Red Colored Elegy HC by Seiichi Hayashi (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008 ), The Arrival HC by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 09/12/07), George Sprott (1894-1975) by Seth (The New York Times/The Funny Pages, 09/17/06 - 03/25/07), Kramers Ergot 7 ed. by Sammy Harkham (Buenaventura Press, early 2008 ),...

Our previous reviews:

Spoiler:

What we do: This is a fanbased review group, open to everybody. It was launched as a companion thread to the BB Review Group. The idea is to review creator-owned books that provide an alternative to the superhero books of the Big Two. This can be anything, from single issues, self-published mini comics, and online comics to graphic novels and anthologies. Because graphic novels are more expensive and may also require more time to read than a 24 page comic (and sometimes for you to be in the right mood), there will be sufficient time to get the books and to read them before the review thread is up. The "upcoming" section lists a few graphic novels, collections, or anthologies we are going to review in the coming weeks and months, with room for many more. Feel free to suggest books, and also to keep adding your reviews and comments to older threads as you read the books.

As people post the reviews, I will add your name and score to a list in the main post and at the end of the week average the scores for an overall grade on the book. We grade on a scale of 0-10, the meanings of which roughly translate to:

10 - Everything I want in a comic, an instant classic
9 - Excellent, a nearly perfect read
8 - Highly recommended but it has minor flaws
7 - Very good, it does have some problems
6 - Above average but has deep flaws
5 - An average comic
4 - Below average, the flaws outweigh the good
3 - A disappointing comic
2 - Forgettable, a waste of time
1 - Stay away!! One of the worst comics I've read

Anyone who participates is asked to please keep this scale in mind when giving a grade so that everyone is operating on the same system.

Locked review threads: If you would like to review a book from one of the previous weeks, but the thread has been locked by the moderators in the meantime, pm me and I'll get a new review thread up.

THERE IS NO OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE EVERY TIME A NEW THREAD IS UP. Please join in as little or as much as you like week to week. If you are uncomfortable giving a grade then just join in the discussions and ask questions.

**Thudpucker** · 03-05-2008, 05:49 PM

Somewhat disappointing first issue.

Not much here, it's a setup issue. The first 12 pages show a woman piloting an experimental jetpack suit. For reasons that are unclear the military decides to murder the woman, they fire a missle at her during the flight. This is happening in a desert park (why the military is conducting tests in a National Park is also a mystery) and below the explosion is a woman taking photo's of plants.

The suit was made of a mercury-like metal, and photographer girl gets some of the metal on her.

In the other 9 pages we are introduced to a Park Ranger who tries to bluff his way past soldiers onto the crash site. It's assumed this Ranger will become the love interest for photographer girl. We also get a better look at the villian, a scientist behind the murder of the pilot.

Photographer girl goes home, covered in metal pelets. She finds a ling strip of the suit in her truck, carries it inside, and plays her answering machine. This is when we learn she is in the process of a divorce. While messages play the mystery metal grafts inself to her skin. End of issue.

eh.

This issue did nothing for me. For one thing I don't like the idea of our army murdering a test pilot. There were dozens of personnel there and I don't think something like that is possible. A large group of military personel participating in the calculated murder of a fellow pilot? It's not even explained why. I guess it was because she 'knew too much, she was a loose cannon, ect.'

My guess for how the story unfolds is that the military finds out about photographer girl and wants to capture / kill her. She runs for her life and Park Ranger boy finds her and tries to rescue her. Photographer girl ends up being another emotionally damaged Terry Moore girl, one going thru a divorce, so much time will be spent on Ranger Boy trying to get her to open up and love again.

Oh well. At least the art was great, and the metal foil cover is really cool.

5.

**Michael John Wheeler** · 03-05-2008, 06:16 PM

I was really disappointed with this comic. Part of that was me expecting something else from Moore, along the lines of SiP, but also because the issue was just... really bland.

What was the point of starting us off in the "now" to then give us the previous few minutes right after that? To build tension and mystery? It didn't work--it came off as weak and uninspired.

I also found the story to be unbalanced between the two stories. It just didn't work for me. I put the issue down saying not to buy another issue, but I probably will check out the collection depending on comments on the whole thing.

The art was great, though.

4

**Ryan Walsh** · 03-05-2008, 06:31 PM

Content-wise, yeah, there wasn't much. I know first issues are kind of notorious for that, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

It was very pretty art-wise, and maybe that's what's going to carry it for the first couple. I hope not, and there's the potential for some neat things planted in this, but that's all it is for now.

Still, I enjoyed it for what it was and hopefully it'll grow into something more.

6.5

**John Drake** · 05-22-2008, 04:21 PM

I think as a setup issue it worked just fine. I enjoyed it and wanted to know more of course, but it lacked a bit of a punch. I like the main character (well, what we've seen so far) and the art was definitely great.

7/10

**changingshades** · 10-30-2009, 06:37 PM

I liked this one a lot. I always felt that Moore never really wrote his books for issues so much as wrote them for story. This issue felt a lot more meaty than I was honestly expecting. The art was spectacular as always. 8/10