‘Flawed’ Vol. 1 is far from its name

Prenzy and Chuck Brown’s bloodsoaked superhero tale boasts crunchy action and a marvelous heroine/villain rivalry.

May 18, 2023

The city of Setham might be the worst place in the world. As Flawed writer Chuck Brown‘s opening narration puts it, Setham “was founded by murderers and thieves and built on the backs of slaves.” No one is born in Setham, not even its kids. Everyone is from somewhere else, “drawn to its gleam,” and they are as likely to “fall prey to its many apex predators” as they are to make it any sort of anywhere.

Indeed, it’s those so-called apex predators—venal, vicious, and wealthy enough to buy the law, who are most likely to get something positive out of their time in the city. Eternal youth, perhaps. A life of infinite pleasures paid for by a truly one-of-a-kind golden goose. And the only cost is the occasional murder of a Black child and, of course, the cover-up to go with it. After all, it would be hard to harvest blood and tissue from the dull, murderous immortal if everyone knew he was the serial child killer who has been menacing the city.

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But someone does know. Dr. Gem Ezz, formerly of Egypt. By day, she’s a psychiatrist—working to help the multitude of hurting folks in modern Setham where the city and its powerful will not. By night, she dons a mask, blades, and guns and pairs her brilliance with ruthless, superhuman martial prowess to strike at those who imagine themselves invincible.

The trick is that Gem’s latest target, while he dies screaming, does not stay dead. And his backers? They have a vested interest in keeping their meal ticket intact—so, naturally, their only option is to bring on the overwhelming force. Assuming, that is, that they aren’t done in by infighting first.

Flawed is a hell of an action comic. Illustrator Prenzy, who previously worked with Brown on 2020’s On the Stump, skillfully combines a keen sense of space with an eye for a wide variety of motion, a gift for gloppy gore, and some careful cartooning. Consider the page below:

The Skinwalker’s gormlessness and dweeby, exaggerated grin (and Psyduck t-shirt) make his casually euphemistic nod to his serial murders all the more unsettling. Higgs, by contrast, is stylized but still clearly grounded in Flawed‘s present. When he attacks, Prenzy’s shifting panel sizes between beats creates not only energy (the bottom panel’s large size makes it pop in comparison to the smaller preceding panels) but impact, as the rest of the page has emphasized Higgs’ ill health and restricted movement. When he makes his play, it is as big a deal to the reader as it is to the Skinwalker. And while the arterial spray here is reserved by Flawed‘s scale, it’s still a potent exclamation point for the page, one that pulls double duty as a bridge to Higgs’ stunningly vicious move on the next page.

Flawed is similarly strong during its more classical fights. Gem is smart, fast, and strong—but as the powers that be realize the scale of her abilities, they stop relying on bundles of disposable goons and start calling in their ringers—like the Relic here. She can go toe to toe with Gem as far as skill and ruthlessness, but Flawed‘s protagonist has the edge in physical strength and makes full use of it.

Brown’s scripting and character work match Prenzy’s illustrations in quality. Gem is ruthless in her heroism, driven to do good by her duties as a psychiatrist, her refusal to let the powerful prey on the innocent without consequence, and her need for catharsis in the wake of surviving a national calamity and military service. She’s a compelling heroine, backed up with a colorful (if less fully developed) supporting cast and opposed by a gaggle of monsters whose monstrousness has space for distinct characterization. It’s good stuff. On a structural level, Brown successfully balances compelling character work with narrative-propelling action.

All told, this is a darn good action horror comic, well worth seeking out.

‘Flawed’ Vol. 1 is far from its name

Flawed Vol. 1

Brown's scripting and character work match Prenzy's illustrations in quality. Gem is ruthless in her heroism, driven to do good by her duties as a psychiatrist, her refusal to let the powerful prey on the innocent without consequence, and her need for catharsis in the wake of surviving a national calamity and military service. She's a compelling heroine, backed up with a colorful (if less fully developed) supporting cast and opposed by a gaggle of monsters whose monstrousness has space for distinct characterization. It's good stuff.

Reader Rating1 Votes

9.1

Prenzy's character work is striking, particularly his deployment of cartooning.

His action, likewise, is kinetic, thrilling, and enjoyably bloody.

Brown's written a compelling, complex heroine with Gem Ezz, one who it would be fun to follow in further stories.

And his villain are a wonderfully distinct band of ghouls—there's variety to their evil, and it boosts the book's character.

The supporting cast, while solid, are a bit more archetypal the Gem is. They've room to grow, and they work well, but their current limits are quite visible.

8.5

Great

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