Like a lot of people when it comes to comics Marvel and DC have been predominently in the spotlight. Between the movies, games, and television these two have been running the game for quite some time. Image Comics has surfaced here and there and in my growing list of comics I’m wanting to explore some of there interesting characters and stories.

And one of the first ones I’ve been reading is Black & White #1: Black. Master Criminal Chang kills most of the Samsung family in a bid to steal their property and claim the secrets lying buried beneath it. Wealthy British spy and wannabe superhero Reed Blackett breaks Whitney Samsung out of an insane asylum in order to team up and stop Chang. Unfortunately, Whitney doesn’t plan on taking orders from anyone and jumps right into trouble.

Now, I don’t know anything about Art Thilbert nor Pamela Thilbert but there’s a lot to like and appreciate about their work. The writing isnt bad and the issue does go a pretty good pace, escpecially towards the end. The story isn’t particularly interesting as it’s something we’ve seen before but it’s not to say that it’s not entertaining.

I really didn’t mind the characters. I thought they were pretty interesting though I know nothing about any of them. I thought it was kind of interesting that Reed Blackett states that he doesn’t like guns but on the cover of the issue he’s firing off guns. Anyway, Reed is the highlight of the story though the story’s about Whitney Samsung. I would’ve liked to have seen more about what Whitney was experiencing as well as what the antagonist Chang had going. Jake Chang was probably the weakest character. Brookes Grey had more presence than this jerk. No personality in the least bit, just a villain who’s twisting his moustache in a corner.

The art style is pretty good. The characters are defined and the action is handled well enough. Reed’s fight with the security guards doesn’t feel over-the-top. The sharp focuses on Whitney give her a really intense and primal look which helps emphasize her anger and rage. There’s violence but the gore is minimal which I didn’t mind despite the brutality of the deaths.

The Verdict: In the end, Black & White #1 – Black wasn’t half bad. It introduced me to some interesting characters though the villain sucked ass. I hope he becomes more prominent and more interesting in the next issue. Also, hopefully we’ll see a bit more emotion from Whitney. Still, I enjoyed the writing and art style by Art Thibert and Pamela Thibert. Black & White #1 – Black gets 3 out of 5.