Jack Kraken is the best agent the Humanoid Interaction Agency has. Using his extranormal powers, Jack protects humans and humanoids alike from those who would kill them. Follow Jack’s adventures rescuing kids and stopping the things that go bump in the night.
The Good
Story– The first tale serves to introduce us to Jack Kraken and the world in which he exists. Such as the grays/ghosts who bend light around them to be invisible. Titans; large monster monkeys who are apparently religious etc. He heads out on another to deal with mermaids and it’s a rescue mission to save a princess. Tale #2- Has Jack tracking the last of a long-lived race as he tries to ascertain if she is murdering babies or not. Tale #3- this one I won’t spoil because you need to buy the damn book!
Art- There are three artists on this one Ross Campbell, Tim Seeley and Jim Terry each has a distinct yet similar enough style that the three stories when read back to back are not jarring nor detracting.
Action-decent amount of fisticuffs in this issue to keep action junkies more than a little happy.
Cover- I’m really digging the Jack Kraken logo. The cover overall is very eye-catching on the stands, I like it!
Reveal– I saw this one as a preview online then later on the stands. I remember thinking “damn, not even a single black book from Dark Horse now that Skyman is over”. Then yesterday BH fan Kevin Woolfork contacted us about this series. He didn’t tell me exactly who was the hero or villain contained within and I grabbed a copy on Darkhorse.com (Buy it here). Imagine my excitement when I hit the last page and boom! Yup! Brand new, super slick and demanding to be seen is Kraken!
Evolution of an idea– How cool was it to see the early sketches and the development of the idea until this modern-day official debut? 100% cool on every possible level. This should give lots of hope to the aspiring artists and writers out there who feel disheartened and defeated because they either can’t get into mainstream or have been turned down multiple times. Jack Kraken is a testament to perseverance, hard work and dedication. Believe it!
The Bad
Spirit- Many will find the similarities between this book and Hellboy. Considering I just watched the two Hellboy movies and know nothing of the comics and i could not help but chuckle at the obvious similarities. Some may be amused, others not so much.
Mix– Multiple artists on a book are not for everyone. If that is a problem for you stay away.
Emotion– While the three tales were entertaining none of them made Jack Kraken terribly emotive beyond simply being cool. For longevity purpose he would need to be fleshed out like Peter Parker, Kyle Rayner or Miles Morales.
The Ugly
Overall this collection really wet my whistle and left me with one singular feeling,no, make that two; Wanting more and a deep sense of satisfaction. Jack Kraken is exciting and mysterious! Kraken demands an ongoing series with his slick design and intriguing story. We give Jack Kraken a 3.5/5
