BRIT #1: MAKING SUPERHEROES SUPER AGAIN

love superheroes.

Don't get me wrong. I don't love them exclusively. Some of my all-time favorite comics don't have anything to do with capes and tights. In fact, with some creators I prefer their non-superhero work. For instance, SHADOWHAWK was great when I was younger, but in the long run I'll always prefer Jim's VALENTINO and, more recently, DRAWING FROM LIFE work.

That said, I find that a lot of superheroes don't act so super anymore. There's an awful lot more crying and talking to therapists than I ever remember seeing. I like my superheroes to face new concepts that promise to tear the Earth apart. That's the good stuff you just don't get enough of these days.

Luckily, it seems that Bruce Brown and Cliff Rathburn feel the same way. Next week they're launching the ongoing series BRIT and, man, this is how I like my superheroes.

First page? Brit's running away from a rampaging dinosaur. Why? WHO CARES?! There's no psychological implications here. There's a Tyrannosaurus Rex tearing apart an airport with no one other than Brit and his best friend & android with a big gun, Donald to stop it. That's all you need to know.

The rest of the story keeps up the pace. Brit is, as the book describes, an "invincibility haver" who spent most of his life punching out bad guys for the government. However, his most recent adventures (conveniently collected in BRIT: OLD SOLDIER VOL. 1 - order code NOV061857) put that relationship on the fritz. These days he's reluctantly fighting the good fight strictly when there's no one else to do the job. However, a job comes up only he can handle and then...? That's what you find out next week. It's not a pretty ending.

Don't get the wrong impression, this is far from a mindless fight the entire issue. Bruce, the writer of the series, does a great job of fleshing out Brit and his supporting cast into real, three dimensional people. By the end of the first issue you feel like you know the guy.

One of the other things I love about the series is it's solid connection to INVINCIBLE. It reminds me of the old days, when characters in one book would appear consistently in the background of another. I imagine if a huge event takes place in INVINCIBLE, you'll see ramifications in BRIT and vice versa. Just compare the last third of BRIT with earlier issues of INVINCIBLE. Does that alien invasion look familiar? This issue even has a little mention of Mark Grayson's corner of the universe which hints to Brit's still mysterious early days.

The first issue hits the shelves next week. Once again, you can use a handy Diamond order code - JUN071871 - to ensure there's a copy waiting for you.