Youngblood Genesis #2

Writer: Kurt Busiek

Pencils: Chad & Eric Walker

Script: Brandon Thomas

Inks: Rob Liefeld & Dan Fraga

Colors: Matt Yackey & BLOND

OK, This is my first review in a LONG time so I’m going to try to do my best with this and I’m going to be honest. First off I would like to express that I in no way am bias towards one company or another or one character over another, I simply am going to review books that I read on a scale of 1-10.

OK, enough chit chat, lets get to the review. Now, I don’t know if anyone has ever heard of Youngblood or Rob Liefeld but there is simply something that you should understand before picking up a Rob Liefeld book. Rob Liefeld is a creative man, but very very slow when it comes to him putting out books that SHOULD BE monthly but are far from it.

I will go out on a limb and express my feelings on Liefeld as I’m sure if it was possible I would be having things thrown at me by at least a few people. I am a BIG fan of Liefelds ART, but not his work ethic. I like many other people have been burned by him multiple times but regardless of that fact, I like his stuff. HOWEVER, you will not find any Rob Liefeld art in this book, so don’t look for it. This is strictly a Youngblood book with other people writing and drawing it, though I’m sure Liefeld had his hands in it.

This book was supposedly very hard to find for some reason, according to various websites and fellow comic collectors I know, It was a very limited print run for issue #2, but that is nothing new with the history of #2 issues. The storyline is just getting started since it is only on issue 2. So far we have been introduced to multiple characters that are part of the superhero team, some you may recognize from the older Youngblood book. The premise is the Youngblood team is being re-launched and new members are being selected and they are gaining popularity with the people but the man behind setting up the team and getting them camera time (not to mention has ties to the government) has something else up his sleeve, but we have yet to see what it is.

Plot and script wise, the writing is effective and detailed and gives you the idea that this team really is getting the camera time and popularity ratings from the general public. The characters all have a style and personality of their own, especially the character Badrock, not Bedrock, that would be a copyright infringement. Throughout the issue, you know that the man behind this team has an ulterior motive, but no one can quite grasp what it is yet. You get a few flashback scenes of what this mans childhood and “growing up” years were like, so you tend to feel like you can relate to him in some ways, which is always an important quality for characters, relate ability. Overall the writing is good, no typos and I can see myself getting to like the characters in the long run.

The art work on the other hand, is average. I love Rob Liefeld’s art like I said before, but the Walker Brothers here are using a style similar to Rob’s but its doesn’t capture the same energy that his do. I know that I can’t draw at all, so I have to give every artist some credit for having some talent. I like the colors in this issue as they were very bright and impressive. I think the inkers in this issue were used well but I find that there was too much shadowing in some of the “talking heads” scenes. I guess I am just spoiled by Rob Liefeld’s art, that when I see a style similar to his, but not HIS, I tend to get a little angry. Youngblood is Rob’s book, HEY ROB, DRAW THE DAMN THING!!!

In closing, this book is a nice re-launch of the original Youngblood with some interesting twists and plots that I’m sure if done correctly, could really be turned into some great tales down the road. The writing is strong and carries the book, the art gets the job done, but who knows, maybe I just have to warm up to the Walker Brothers in order to appreciate their Rob-like style. People who like a good superhero team book, want something a little more extreme than the X-Men, Avengers, GLA, etc., then I would advise you to check out Youngblood. That is, if you don’t mind waiting AT LEAST a month between issues, you may enjoy it. It’s a fair start to a book that has the potential to get interesting very quickly.

RATING: 6/10