What happens when the villains don’t want to be villains anymore? Deadweights answers that question in the form of a buddy comedy. Writer Tyrone Finch (Swine, Station 19) and artist Sebastián Piriz (We Ride Titans) introduce us to hapless villains Cannonbulk and Bounder, who decide to hang up their boots (or put on pants so to speak) and end their lives of crime. But a direct confrontation with their own destructive force suggests this won’t be as easy as it sounds. Deadweights is a new series from AHOY, as always with back up extras to sweeten the deal.
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It seems nowadays that there’s a “what if X superhero was evil” story every couple months but the reverse, “what if X villain was good,” is reasonably rare. The protagonists in Deadweights are immediately likable thanks to their characterizations and looks. Finch and Piriz have created two henchmen that could fit onto just about any superhero team (provided it’s a comedic B team). The story wastes no time, either – within pages, they’ve turned their back on villainy and not a couple pages later they’re forced to confront the damages of their latest battle. It works well to juxtapose the lighthearted and comedic tone with death and destruction. Right off the bat, these characters are made relatable so that their guilt moves the reader.
This is amplified when the ‘superheroes’ arrive. A big superhero fight ensues that leaves the reader questioning who the real hero here is. Because of the success of the issue’s opening, this fight works. It veers into Man of Steel/ The Boys wanton destruction that ought to leave the civilians more in fear of their heroes than anything else. But would the reader pick up on that without the story Finch and Piriz had crafted beforehand? It’s hard to tell. What snapshots we see of these supposed heroes, albeit through Cannonbulk and Bounder’s view, much closer resemble villains than anything else.
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Piriz’s artwork works well with the story. The clean lines match the protagonists’ goals. Through the art we see that these two want simple lives. When things get messier at the battleground that cleanliness is disrupted. It’s wee things like that that add to a comic. If there was a complaint to have, it’s that the art style is almost too clean at times. For example, the two meet a woman after they steal her son’s clothes and it’s established the son is an adult but the woman barely looks 30. The script is slightly at odds with what the reader sees. A small nitpick probably.
Deadweights #1 is a fantastic start to a new series. A buddy comedy about doing good that doesn’t coast on its comedic premise.
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