Beats of War #1 Review
Beats of War #1, by Etienne Kubwabo is a multi-layered story set in Glasgow featuring Scotland's first black superhero. Leaving behind a planet ravaged by robot invaders, DJ ET flees to Earth, landing in Scotland.
Whilst an alien coming to Earth and becoming a superhero isn't a new concept, there are still plenty of stories to tell and different scenarios of how it can all play out. The book touches on Glasgow's violent past and racism. There's humour as well, like when ET flippantly states he's from another planet because he doesn't recognise Michael Jackson's music, only to reference that comment later on.
Ben Wilsonham is on art duty and shows a good range of talent. Scenes are brought to life with some stunning colours whilst making skilful use of shadows to add some depth, particularly with people. The alien designs are cool, not too dissimilar to humans but enough that they're clearly not human. If the first panel doesn't immediately grab your attention then I don't know what will.
Wilsonham really had his work cut out for him with this issue and he rose to the challenge. Aliens, explosions, spaceships, fights, cityscapes. There's a lot happening in one issue and to cover all of that with a set standard speaks volumes to the talent on show.
Etienne Kubwabo has created a comic that puts Glasgow in the spotlight. It's always nice seeing places in the UK in comics. There's a lot of depth to the story, which is helped by using his own experiences in coming to Glasgow as a refugee, both positive and negative. Glasgow has become his home like it will become ET's. There is a lot of heart and soul that is evident in the pages as Kubwabo looks to bring a relatable character, despite him not being human. It's not a new concept as it's worked for Superman for a long time, but there are still plenty of fresh ideas here that are explored that make this something different.
There's a nice subplot added as well with ET's blood and how its qualities make it rather valuable. The worlds going to want it if everyone finds out about it. It's a nice way to add some potential risk to the story going forward, and again, something that makes this different from others. And taking the form of a dead policeman? That'll surely bring trouble going forward too.
Beats of War #1 is a great first issue. There's plenty to get your teeth into and a few plot threads started. ET's aim is to save his home planet, but you know things won't be that simple. Glasgow is not going to let it be that simple. The design for ET's suit is unique and the setting of Scotland just adds another dimension, particularly with bringing back some historical gangs to provide some grounding to the comic. ET has a lot on his plate and it's not going to be superheroes or robots that's causing him problems. The final page is a perfect setup for the second issue.
Rating: 4.5/5
If you want to buy Beats of War, you can do so over at the Mile Away Films (Etienne Kubwabo's company) website: Beats of War (Comic book) - Mile Away Films
You can follow along with ET's story through the Twitter account @et_thedj
