#IReadsYou Review: QUINCREDIBLE Vol. 1

QUINCREDIBLE, VOL. 1
ONI PRESS/THE LION FORGE

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Selina Espiritu
COLORS: Kelly Fitzpatrick
LETTERS: AW's Tom Napolitano
EDITOR: Jasmine Amiri and Steenz
ISBN: 978-15493-0282-4; paperback (June 4, 2019)
144pp., Color, $14.99 U.S.

Reading age: 13 to 16 years; Grades 7 to 9

Quincredible is a five-issue comic book series from The Lion Forge.  The series focuses on a teen boy who tries to live his best life by being a superhero.  Quincredible is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Selina Espiritu, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick, and lettered by Tom Napolitano.  Quincredible #1 to #5 (November 2018 to March 2019) was collected in the 2019 trade paperback, Quincredible Vol. 1: Quest to Be The Best.  [My review is based on the comiXology digital edition of the 2019 print edition of Quincredible Vol. 1.]

Quincredible Vol. 1 is set in New Orleans, Louisiana in the aftermath of two monumental events.  The first is Hurricane Katrina (2005), which has left the city's most vulnerable communities in an even more precarious position.  The second event is a meteor shower, which apparently bestowed super-powers on some humans directly exposed to the meteorites.  The people who gain powers from the meteors are called the “Enhanced.”

The story focuses on 15-year-old Quinton, also known as “Quin,” an African-American high school sophomore.  Quin is a familiar black American teenager.  He has a room full of electronics and gizmos, and he is especially adept at adapting them and inventing new versions.  Quin is also trying to navigate the social dynamics of both his neighborhood and his high school, and the former is characterized by power structures of systematic racism and of the white patriarchy.

However, Quin is also different.  He was exposed to the meteor show, and the powers he gained as a byproduct of that exposure are not flashy.  He has the power of invulnerability, but to Quin, he is “just invulnerable.” Still, Quin wants to make the world, especially his city, a better place.  So he is going to have to get creative if his 120-pound body and his invulnerability are going to save the day.

THE LOWDOWN:  What Quincredible writer Rodney Barnes presents in Quin is a familiar portrait of a black American teenager.  In terms of superhero comic books, Barnes offers in Quin the portrait of an American teenager as a superhero, a kind that is both familiar and classic.

In previous reviews, I have said that the former DC Comics/Milestone Media comic book series, Static, especially Static #1 to 4 (June to September 1993), reminded me of classic Spider-Man comic books.  I am thinking specifically of The Amazing Spider-Man #1 to 38 (March 1963 to July 1966) and The Amazing Spider-Man Annuals #1 and (1964-65), all produced by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee.  I felt that classic Spider-Man vibe again when Marvel Comics introduced the new Black-Latino Spider-Man, Miles Morales.  Ultimate Spider-Man (2011) #1 to #10 (November 2011 to July 2012) recalls both classic Ditko-Lee Spider-Man and Static.  Like Marvel's Miles Morales, Milestone's Static the superhero is also an African-American teenager, Virgil Ovid Hawkins.

Now, the holy trinity of vibes is complete.  Quincredible reminds me of the original Spider-Man comic books, although Quincredible is closer to Static and Miles Morales Spider-Man, for obvious reasons.  Barnes tells a story of an ambitious and brave African-American teenage male who takes on the role of being a superhero because it is the right thing to do and not because a family tragedy spurred him to do so.  I like that what Barnes offers is a journey of discovery and of possibility, and it is also done with a positive and inquisitive vibe that I think young and teen readers need, especially young readers of color.

Artist Selina Espiritu creates graphical storytelling that is riveting and thrilling without being dark and scary.  Her storytelling also draws the reader into the world of Quincredible, and her clean drawing style, which emphasizes cartooning over realism, is perfect for a young adult graphic novel, which is what Quincredible Vol. 1 is.  Colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick's colors jump off the page, and veteran letterer, Tom Napolitano, creates a sense of non-stop action and high drama.

Barnes and Espiritu ground Quincredible in reality, giving the story an earthy tone that captures life in a unique locale like New Orleans.  Still, they maintain those elements of the fantastic that are crucial to comic books and graphic novels.

Quincredible Vol. 1: Quest to Be the Best is scheduled to come back into print February 23, 2021.  This is a second chance to experience what I think is a great new teenage superhero in the classic tradition.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Readers looking for middle-grade and young adult graphic novels in the tradition of Spider-Man, Static Shock, and Miles Morales-Spider-Man will want to try Quincredible Vol. 1.

9 out of 10

[This comic book includes a “Cover Gallery” and “Making of Quincredible,” and “Concept Sketches.”]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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