True Volume 1 is a comic written and drawn by Terrell Culbert. A group of variants embark on a deadly mission to undermine The Pastor. This is a science fiction supernatural post-apocalyptic comic that has family drama, superpowers, oppressive governments, and an air of mystery. There are eight leading ladies here; we have the big sis/mentor Ja-Lynn, Brandi, Nikki, Six, Toy, Nurah, Face, and Kee. Some of the different powers and abilities these women have include but aren’t limited to: telekinesis, technopathy, mind reading, and flight. After some initial flashbacks this story truly begins with these ladies preparing to go on a mission to retrieve something from a Doctor Zoice. Nikki gets on her motorcycle, others get on a ship, and some remain at the base as things get underway. The situation kicks off with Nikki smashing through the glass ceiling and taking out the initial guards which leads to them calling for reinforcements. This takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, specifically Detroit, where mutated humans called variants started appearing which led to more conflict in a world already ravaged by a recent great war. Violence can get brutal and bloody with some gruesomeness. The pacing is slower at the beginning and near the end with the middle fluctuating between speedy and steady. This has a grimly dark and futuristic post-apocalypse tone with slight X-Men vibes. Dramatic here are high both between the siblings and between everyone else; violence can spike but it is somewhat infrequent. Dialogue here is very conversational with a modern Black talking style and clear aggression from just about every character. There aren’t any word-heavy pages abut a few do get close. This is an intriguing and complex debut issue with layered characters, mysterious motivations, and explosive violence.

            The art here is drawn in a slightly cartoonish, thicker outlined style with a solid look to it and realistic lighting and shading. There is an overwhelming amount of black, red, and blue in this color palette with various shades of brown as well. For scenery we have quick shots of some mountains, rocky terrain, and a body of water. The main location for this story is Dr. Zoice’s laboratory, both inside and outside, with some additional scenes taking place at homes and in The Deadlands (toxic, rough areas surrounding Detroit). Backgrounds tend to be a solid color but there is usually something physical to see in the foreground. The expression level here is around average as some of these characters show their feelings while others just appear tough. Most of the emotions here are angry and aggressive as not many people on either side of this conflict are happy; there is also some fear and irritation. Faces have a good amount of detail from the eyebrows to the mouths and this results in most of the different expressions coming across very strong and clearly. When certain powers are used they usually are a bright, fiery blue. Some of the weaponry on display are firearms, missiles, and katanas. The violence is gets bloody and destructive with light blood and gruesomeness leading to a bit of gore. There is one lengthy action scene with multiple shifting perspectives, panel variety, flashbacks, and a flow you should be able to follow with little issue. Every woman here is built like a curvy model and has large breasts; some of them wear outfits that are tight and/or revealing.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes, if this is up your alley.

“Would I like this?”

If you like science fiction supernatural stories that take place in a post-apocalyptic world and star eight Black women and features strong violence, family drama, nefarious governments, and plenty of mysteriousness then this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

R. Violence, blood, gruesomeness, gore, lewdness, nudity.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“Using too little can be dangerous, use too much, and your body is cooked…”

 

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lastsoncomics/true-issue-1-mature-comic-series/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 76

Violent Pages: 18, for 24% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 3, for 4% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 3

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 4

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 3

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 3

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”