If there’s one thing I remember about growing up in the ’90s, it was that everything had to be EXTREME with a capital E. That meant inserting letters like “x” and “z” into words that didn’t need them, that many of the heroes I watched on TV were teenagers, and that skateboards were a prime accessory. One of the superhero teams that embodied this ’90s aesthetic was the New Warriors – doubly so with their skateboarding teenage leader Night Thrasher. Therefore, it was with a great deal of interest that I picked up Night Thrasher #1 from J. Holtham, Nelson Daniel, Matt Milla and Travis Lanham.
Dwayne Taylor aka Night Thrasher has returned to Harlem to tie up some loose ends from his past. Despite this, he’s drawn into a conflict featuring a mysterious gangster known as the “O.G.”, forcing him to don his Night Thrasher armor again. Throw in a potential rekindling of a romance with his former New Warriors teammate Silhouette and some existential angst, and you have a solid storyline for a miniseries.
I’m not kidding about that existential angst. Holtham slowly peels back the layers of why Dwayne is really reluctant to take up his Night Thrasher costume as well as reconnect with the people in his life, and it lies in the fact that he died. It seems like a lifetime ago, but he and other members of the New Warriors died in Civil War #1 – and if it weren’t for some time travel shenanigans he’s still be dead. Most comic book resurrections tend to shrug off the whole “this person died”, but I applaud Holtham for actually exploring how a superhero (especially a normal guy like Dwayne) would handle coming back to life.
Daniel’s artwork for Night Thrasher #1 comes complete with straight, simple lines and an attention to detail. A great example is a confrontation between Silhouette and Night Thrasher; when she gets angry, her body pulsates with the flowing shadows of the Darkforce Dimension. Thanks to Milla’s color work, those shadows feel like a living, rippling beast. Likewise, when Night Thrasher tracks down the O.G., his movements are those of a man who can’t shoot webs out of his wrists or summon a silvery skateboard, but is still above the average Joe. As for the O.G. himself he cuts an imposing figure; he’s nearly twice the size of Night Thrasher, and all of it is pure muscle.
The issue closes with a bonus story focused on Silhouette, and it’s deeply moving. Not only does Holtham deliver another deep dive into a New Warrior’s head, but there’s a sadness that permeates Nelson’s illustrations as well as Milla’s color work. Even the word captions from Lanham had a melancholy sense to them. But unlike other comics that seem to wallow in doom and gloom, this is rooted in real human emotion.
Night Thrasher #1 isn’t content to just be an ode to a ’90s icon – it’s aiming to be an actual character study. It’s rare that a hero who isn’t in Marvel’s big leagues is afforded this kind of treatment, but it’s a testament to the creative team that Dwayne Taylor’s newest adventure is worth reading. Maybe the rest of the New Warriors could hopefully get the same deal.
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