Doctor Fate #1

Writer – Paul Levitz
Artist – Sonny Liew
Colours – Lee Loughridge

Something bad is coming and the only person that can do anything about it is a young man named Khalid. There is only one problem though and that is the mere fact that he has no idea how he is supposed to do as such. Doctor Fate has always been one of the most distinctive characters in the entirety of the DC library with the golden helmet of Nabu coupled with his rich history dating back to the Golden Age of comics. In this new title, Paul Levitz introduces us to a different Doctor Fate than we have ever seen before and while it would have been truly fantastic to see Hector Hall or Kent Nelson back in the mask, Khalid shows some promise. One of the more interesting decisions to have been made is to name this new character Khalid, mirroring his Earth 2 counterpart. In the scheme of things, it really does not matter all that much as Levitz spins a tale that merges the old with the new, having both ancient Egyptian gods with teens that text. It is an interesting combination that should provide fodder for many stories to come. The artwork by Sonny Liew is fresh and invigorating with its indie-like style and there is an energy to it that really helps to move the story along at a good pace. There are some horror elements to the tale that give it a bit of moodiness and enhance the magical aspects of the book that Levitz has introduced to us. As far as a first issue goes, Doctor Fate #1 checks all the boxes though it could be a little more exciting. Going forward, the book seems like it is going to be a lot of fun and if it can somehow work in some legacy aspects to the character, it will be all that much better.

3.5 out of 5

The October Faction #8

Writer – Steve Niles
Artist – Damien Worm
Colours – Alyzia Zherno

After the attack on their home, Frederick decides that the kids need to start their training sooner rather than later and thus he leaves them with a set of instructions with the main one being to not leave the house no matter what. What follows is a fight for their lives as they are soon attacked by a vampire, a werewolf and the worst monster of them all, their mother. This was a fun issue that saw Steve Niles and Damien Worm having a good time putting Geoff, Vivian and Robotface through their paces. So far, the kids seem to have what it takes to be monster hunters though they have yet to face off against someone with the experience that their mother has, which should be quite interesting come the next issue when that happens. There is also a little bit of a side story involving Frederick as the sheriff wants to know what it is that he is looking at out in the woods. To him it seems like a grave and of course, Frederick has no idea what it is, not that the sheriff would believe him anyways. Niles has been doing a great job of expanding the lives and the characteristics of our cast, even if they have yet to do anything of note. Fighting monsters and such is great, but it would be nice to see them have some sort of mission, aside from being a family and all. Damien Worm’s pencils are as good as ever and the man can make anything look spooky, whether it is meant to be or not. Altogether, the book is a good one that just needs a little more excitement to really put it over the edge.

3.5 out of 5