Comics Features

REVIEW: Actionverse #1 (Stray)

The conclusion is almost upon us with Actionverse #1 (Featuring Stray), written by Sean Izaakse. Our heroes all come together just in time for an epic conclusion with a terrifying villain.

The issue begins with Stray having a nightmarish vision of losing his entire team to a zombie-esque apocalypse. Stray wakes up to find Medula has Jake Roth and the new team, now including Virtue, must try to find him before it’s too late. But it appears as though Medula is on Jake’s side as he gives him a new suit to help combat Malice. But whether or not that suit will be enough remains a mystery as Malice has gotten a serious upgrade, now calling himself Cascade with a new suit of his own and his completed machine.

The bar has been raised once again in Actionverse #1 (Stray). Malice’s new upgrade to Cascade is not only visually stunning but his overall presence is even more threatening than ever before. We saw his transformation briefly at the end of Actionverse #4 (Featuring Midnight Tiger) but now we get to see Cascade in all his glory. The new life Sean Izaakse, who also does the artwork for this issue, brings to the character really shines throughout. Izaakse also does a wonderful job bringing the macabre and dark atmosphere of Stray’s vision to life and it starts the issue off on a high, strong note.

Every character in this issue is given a good balance of panel time and speaking dialogue. Which is no easy feat considering Virtue has now been added to the team. The juggling of all these characters in the same space is done very well and no one character outshines the other despite the fact this issue is meant to feature Stray. The action, as always, is fast paced and packed with good moments.

It’ll be interesting to see where the character of Medula and Jake Roth go. As of right now, Medula appears to be in a situation of alliance of convenience with the rest of the group. But once Cascade is, hopefully, defeated, it’s quite possibly Medula will be the next villain. And, he may just take Jake Roth with him. It’s definitely setting up for future stories beyond this six issue story arc which ultimately adds another layer of depth to the universe being created. Actionverse #5 is the epitome of what makes this entire series so great.

Actionverse #1 is certainly no disappointment to this well written and well executed experiment in the world of indie comics. It has the action, character development, and artwork of any good comic book. It leaves the audience on the edge of their seat with the possibility of a story beyond this six issue arc. One thing is for certain: the finale of this story arc is definitely going to be epic.

You can purchase your copy of Actionverse #1 (Featuring Stray) through Atomic Empire’s website. Get your copy today! Once you’ve read your copy, let us know what you thought of it on Twitter or in the comments section below!

About the author

Jillian Diblasio