If you are or have ever been a fan of Robert Kirkman’s Invincible, Secret Identities just might be your cup of tea… but helluva lot stronger.
We got our hands on Secret Identities #1 courtesy of Atom Comics. Written by Brian Joines (Noble Causes) and Jay Faerber (Generation X, Dynamo 5), Secret Identities dives straight into the action and brilliantly uses the opportunity to introduce the eight primary heroes who form the super-team, The Front Line.
Joines’ and Faerber’s histories on Noble Causes and Dynamo 5 (respectively) especially play up here, fostering the atmosphere of youthful energy amongst novice but competent heroes, familiar to anyone who may have read the aforementioned titles. And coupled with the mysteries surrounding each of them behind their secret identities, it wouldn’t be out of place for Invincible to drop by and teach them a thing or two about being heroes with screwed up backstories.
As engaging as the action is, the true credit lies in Ilias Kyriazis’ to-the-point art style, choosing to never clutter page nor panel unless he absolutely has to—and even then, it’s remarkably well composited, even allowing readers to keep track of the central figures during conflicts.
Kyriazis’ art also contributes to much of the intrigue behind the characters’ civilian lives, keeping the non-superhero scenes just as intense. It also helps that Charlie Kirchoff’s and Ron Riley’s colours seem to have a tone for each character, making transitions between scenes especially distinctive and without making the packed action sequences seem gaudy.
If it wasn’t already obvious from my comparing it to Invincible from the very beginning, Secret Identities is a definite must read and certainly belongs on the pull list of every superhero comic fan.