Fittingly enough, “erratic” is the best way to describe the latest entry in Awa Studios teenage superhero series, E-Ratic #4. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Writer/Artist Kaare Andrews has continued to make main character Oliver Leif’s life a living hell, and I’m here for it. We’re four issues in, and if you’re just joining, the story follows Oliver Lief, a high schooler with superpowers that he can only use for ten minutes a day.
What makes E-Ratic so much fun to read is its unorthodox method of storytelling. It’s quick-paced and has a bunch of intertwined storylines going on at the same time. It’s messy. Messy in the real-life sense that if you were gifted with abilities that you could use to save lives but only had ten minutes to do so, you probably would have no clue what to do first. This is the ongoing struggle of our young hero Oliver.
His family’s facing eviction. He’s trying to navigate high school, the opposite sex, and a crazy scientist who we still don’t know if he wants to kill Oliver or help him. This kid is trying to balance all these things while keeping his sanity — it’s a wonder anyone becomes a superhero. But ultimately, it’s a great take on the hero genre that iconic characters like Spider-Man would be proud of. As far as the writing is concerned, the dialogue is decent and the word bubbles don’t ever distract from the artwork.
The illustrations in E-Ratic #4 are pretty amazing and introduces a new threat that readers will get a kick out of. There’s something for everyone in this issue, and even some inventive panels that deal with Oliver trying to charge a cell phone. Andrews is good at creating climactic moments that make you feel like you’re watching an action scene in a movie. Not to mention that the emotions he brings out of his characters with his wicked cool character designs are pretty uncanny.
E-Ratic #4 proves that Oliver still has a lot of work cut out for him as a hero. It’s shaping up to be an amazing series that keeps you coming back for more, and it’ll be interesting to see how the plot wraps up in the next issue.
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