Torchwood #1 Review

Titan is introducing a continuation of the Torchwood TV show with a new comic series that will follow Captain Jack Harkness–Intergalactic Time Agent–and Gwen Cooper as they work together to save the universe from out of this world adversaries. The issues are written by John Barrowman, the actor who portrays Harkness, and his sister Carole. The underground agency is in need of reformation and Harkness and Cooper must get moving if they want to save the world. I’m definitely a fan girl of this Doctor Who off-shoot and Captain Jack is a favorite. Is it good?

Torchwood #1 (Titan Comics)

Barrowman’s story is very typical of his on screen character. The dialogue is very tongue in cheek and some of the jokes are delightfully distasteful. It’s not too wordy though, which works well for quick reader. The character building in the first issue is minimal but efficient–knowing the show will help a little bit but isn’t necessary. The art is very sketch style and works well with the outline of the issue. The characters are defined well throughout most of the book and the backgrounds showcase some great color contrasts with the changing stories. The overall effect of the pages isn’t interrupted by text. There are separate text explanations of a few characters and scenarios that help with following the story; my favorite is on page 22.

There are some continuity issues with the story that had me lost for a few pages. The issue is a few stories in one, converging on the final section, and some of them don’t seem to fit together as well as they could. You may need to read it more than once if something isn’t making sense. I wish that every panel had the great definition of each character but some seem to hide them in the background and some facial features/expressions are lost.

Is It Good?

The story itself is a great build off of the series and should keep fans entertained. Barrowman did a great job bringing the characters back into their element with new issues to overcome. Time to save the world–again.