The Humans (2014) #1

The Humans revels in itself, in its gimmick. Keenan Marshall Keller and Tom Neely love the idea of their comic–a sixties biker gang on a “planet of the apes”-type situation–and their enthusiasm comes across. Better than coming across, it never comes across forced. This issue builds, with Keller and Neely introducing ideas–visual and narrative devices–as it all unfolds.

Neely does great action scenes and he does great medium shot talking scenes. He handles crowds well, finding different ways to compose for the best effect. He’s the star of the book. Someone else might be able to do the gimmick, but Neely makes The Humans better than just its gimmick.

In fact, the book being so successful is what gets it through this first issue. It has excellent pacing–until the rushed denouement and soft cliffhanger–more than it has anything else in the writing. Keller has some good dialogue, but the flow is more impressive. It moves, but Keller and Neely make sure readers have everything they need to keep up.

I’m excited to see what they do next.