WhiteOwl #1 is a comic written and colored by Roberto Rodriguez with art by Jonathan Espinoza. A man with newfound superpowers decides to become a vigilante and help the less fortunate. This is a gritty tale with multiple superfolk and light noir vibes that stars a very broody man. The man in question is Theo, he is struggling with how to properly put his powers to use and trying to prevent himself from becoming a monster like those he hunts. He has a very intelligent girlfriend named Nubia who is attempting to get him a costume and keep him safe in this dangerous field he’s chosen to work in. The story begins with Theo nearing the end of a case he’s been working where some children have been kidnapped. He is arguing with himself about the best course of action to take and afterwards we get a look at how he’s dealing with the decision he ultimately made. This takes place in a world where superfolk are common but besides that it is just like ours. The action here is both bloody and gory with some gruesome attacks. The pacing is overall slower than average as there is a lot of talking. The tone is very serious and it veers close to edginess but doesn’t really get there. There are many intense moments due to violence. The dialogue is mostly conversational with lengthy back-and-forths but we occasionally get a look at Theo’s thoughts. Some of the text bubbles can be thick and there are many word-heavy pages. This is the debut issue for a gritty noir comic that stars a brooding man who is wrestling with who he is and what he thinks he needs to do.

            The art here has a gritty smoothness to it with a heavy focus on shading. The colors here are overall dark and low in tone which matches the story. For scenery there are dark skies and tall buildings as this comic takes place in the city. The brooding atmosphere is assisted by the art as there are only a few scenes taking place during the day. The location is different about every few pages but they all take place either inside or very close to a building. The backgrounds usually show the surroundings but on rare occasions is might be a solid color or color gradient. The expression level here is around average as the characters do show different looks but sometimes default to a scowl. The emotions are all over the place as Theo’s brooding takes him dark and sad places while Nubia brings positivity and happiness. The faces have a high variance as they can look detailed and alive on one page but flat and stiff the next. The violence here is both bloody and gory with some gruesome attacks and a decent amount of gun use. The action scenes have good flow and tend to have a high panel count during the longer sequences.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like dark, gritty superhero tales with a broody male lead in a with violence and drama taking place deep in the heart of a city then this is for you.

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

R. Violence, gore, lewdness.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“Can I contain myself against such evil?”

 

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whiteowl/whiteowl-issues-1and2/description

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

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 28

Violent Pages: 9, for 32% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 3, for 11% 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 – 2

“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.”