The Stop Button

You know, I liked it.

I dislike gimmicks as a principle, but Boom! allowed advance reviews of Soldier Zero so I figured they must think it’ll get good ones. You don’t see a lot of advance comic reviews from any superhero publisher.

It succeeds because of Paul Cornell, near as I can tell, and because of the narrative construction. The titular Soldier Zero has these strange appearances throughout the issue, so he could be a video game character the protagonist plays. Goofy superhero outfit though–looks like a cheap toy.

The protagonist is where Soldier Zero works real well–he’s an anti-war, disabled Iraq vet and Cornell’s approach to not making him a stereotype is very interesting. Cornell drowns the character in stereotypical situations, but keeps him honest, making them real.

It’s not reinventing the wheel (it’s like Green Lantern with a wheelchair), but it’s a decent superhero comic.

CREDITS

One Small Step for Man, Part One; writer, Paul Cornell; artist, Javier Pina; colorist, Alfred Rockefeller; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Bryce Carlson; publisher, Boom! Studios.