Liberator, Vol. 1: Rage Ignition

Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Miner (Critical Hit) and company tell stories about ordinary people who risk everything to protect defenseless animals. Damon Guerrero and Jeanette Francis put on ski masks and dark clothing for a crusade that involves torching dog fighters’ homes and vandalizing animal testing facilities. The book is essentially the story of two animal lovers playing Batman; the protagonists even refer to themselves as superheroes at one point. But in a medium oversaturated with capes and cowls, vigilantism is far from the most original concept for a comic book series. This reads like one of the more bland titles you’d comes across at Marvel or DC, with generic artwork from illustrator Javier Sanchez Aranda (Infinity Inc.) and all-too-typical tough-guy narration from Miner. While the cause the book advocates is progressive, the storytelling is anything but. Backup stories by a variety of well-known creators—including Tim Seeley and Ales Kot—don’t do enough to spice up the execution. [em](Apr.) [/em]