Review - Captain Midnight #1

"Still...one less Nazi is hardly a bad thing."

Striking at midnight makes you predictable. When you're Captain Midnight though, it doesn't really matter if the enemy can see you coming. They still have to be able to stop you and, from the looks of Captain Midnight #1 from Dark Horse Comics, the enemy will have a tough time stopping the timeless hero.

The title is written by Joshua Williamson, illustrated by Fernando Dagnino, colored by Ego and lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot!.

It's been years since Jim Albright disappeared, taking with him a lot of ideals and a lot of intel. His disappearance was shrouded in mystery, yet he made one last major score before fading from history: Fury. The result of his actions on that day set things in motion that even he wasn't aware of and brings the story into present day Nevada, where the Secret Squadron HQ is sought out. There are competing motivations for finding the good captain and not all of them are to thank him for defending the country so long ago.

Captain Midnight as a character has been around for quite a while. Dark Horse revived him in Dark Horse Presents, three stories that were recently collected in Captain Midnight #0. That issue set the stage for the new series and Williamson taps into the World War II psyche prevalent in the early Captain America books. Captain Midnight isn't quite as subservient to the Stars and Stripes as "the" Cap, but he's willing to take orders and definitely wants to help where he can. There's a healthy infusion of past meets present and as a reader you get a sense of the war time rhetoric that ruled the roost in the 1940s.

Dagnino's art is pretty solid. He relies on very strong lines to accent characters and features, mixing them into the scenery to help age the setting. The Secret Squadron HQ looks ancient, while the Fury HQ in the past is desolate and snow-covered. There are some action pages that are easy enough to follow, blending well with the other pages that are really for dialogue. Character faces look realistic and show that Dagnino spent some time on them, lending to a style that seems influenced by artists of decades past.

Captain Midnight #1 is the start of a series that could be a lot of fun. The first issue established the villain and arranged scenarios where Captain Midnight can do what he does best: save the day and fight for justice. There's a lot riding on the right people finding him and it looks to be that--at the moment at least--things will be ok for the good Captain. Of course, there's a blonde with a vendetta looming in the shadows as well, hellbent on unleashing fury.

Captain Midnight #1 is in stores July 31 with interiors below.