“Max Ride First Flight” opens in a surreal landscape clouded with visions of a girl who can fly, trying desperately to escape a fanged beast. She’s one of many special kids, someone who’s been tested on, the story may be familiar but the ending subverts everything you thought you knew.
WRITTEN BY: Marguerite Bennett
ART BY: Alex Sanchez
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: 8 April 2015
James Patterson’s novel “First Flight” is nicely adapted by writer Maurgarette Bennett and artist Alex Sanchez in a breathless first issue that doesn’t waste precious time spouting exposition. Instead the mechanics of the world, and the drive of the main character, Max, are mostly worked out visually.
Dialogue throughout is snappy and filled with the young adult vibe that is all the rage in dystopian genre fiction right now. Despite the young adult slant, the book offers hints at mature themes in the future. Right now, the dynamic is purely one of whimsy and the stark difference between reality and dreams. I wasn’t sure I was ready for the final page reveal, but it brought a middling first issue to a fantastic conclusion that has me ready for more.
The world of the book feels inspired by young adult fantasy like Peter Pan or The Chronicles of Narnia but the absolute differences of this world are still a little vague. There are certainly many fantasy elements but what they all mean and how exactly they play into the story at large remains only a vague tease at the conclusion of this debut issue.
It’s hard to see this book as anything other than the standard hero’s journey fare that has inspired much of young adult fiction. There are hints at something more, but as it stands the story is fairly routine but pretty engaging.
Alex Sanchez’ art is sometimes magnificent and other times sloppy. The lines are a little all over the place, and overall the book has an inconsistent visual appeal. There are plenty of two page spreads that showcase beautiful displays of talent and world building, followed by messy action scenes that look like there were drawn at gunpoint. Proportions are odd, and the line weight on the page doesn’t carry much difference.
However, the inconsistent art doesn’t wholly damage the story. The final package is something inherently enjoyable and approachable. Not much is accomplished in this first issue but the entire thing reads like silk and has a darkly sinister tone hidden beneath some of the pages. The subtext of the this story promises to take us on a dark journey if only from the final page, but it creates such a jarring tonal difference it’s hard to say whether or not this book is worth your time with only one issue of story.