Written by Matthew Rosenberg and Patrick Kindlon. Art by Josh Hood. Published by Black Mask Studios.
Maddie and Duncan are the town’s misfits. Not only are they a little strange but they both happen to have superpowers too. After meeting unconventionally one evening, in which they reveal their special abilities to each other, they’re set on a course that involves teenage romance, classic alternative music and a shocking conclusion that not only gives the title it’s name but will propel the series going forward. We Can Never Go Home feels like the love child of the David Lapham’s Stray Bullets and the the cover of Sonic Youth’s Goo album cover – full of teenage romance and danger.
What I liked about We Can Never Go Home #1 is that it was a slow burn, which allowed for character building and the relationship between Maddie and Duncan to flourish. By building the protagonists through multiple scenes throughout the issue Rosenberg and Kindlon have been able to create a relationship that while unconventional in situation has grown organically instead of feeling tacked on. It also makes this teenage couple’s motivations and resulting decisions more convincing in the final shocking pages.
In the art department We Can Never Go Home #1 is a great looking comic. Joshua Hood’s art, which feel like a cross between Terry Dodson and Becky Cloonan, is clean with a combination of solid blacks for shadow. This clean style works well when in conjunction with with flat muted colours by Amanda Scurti that help set tone. These colours work quite well in the night-time sequences, something that I feel some colourists struggle with. The only thing that I believe let the art down was the occasional bit of line work that was maybe a tiny bit too thick. This wasn’t a major issue, but with some finer details or it felt a little muddled and messy. Overall, Josh Hood’s art is very solid and I am looking forward to seeing more of it.
Full of rebellious teenage romance and a classic alternative rock soundtrack this new series is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good road movie. Josh Hood’s clean art, with muted colours not only fits the tone of the series perfectly it looks great. With an organic relationship which grows throughout the issues to it’s violent conclusion, We Can Never Go Home #1 is a satisfying read and it will be very interesting to see where it goes in subsequent issues.
We Can Never Go Home is available from all good comic book stores from March 25th.
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