Benjamin wakes up in a seedy motel room with no memory of how he got there. With strangers at the door and everything else a blur, he ends up on the street with nothing and nowhere to go. A kind hand shows mercy and works out the mystery man’s identity: Benjamin J. Carp, famous science fiction writer. Mystery solved, except Benjamin J. Carp has been dead for 40 years! Benjamin #1 sets us up for a psychedelic, time traveling mystery of cosmic proportions!
- Written by Ben H. Winters
- Art by Leomacs
- Colors by Luca Bertele
- Letters by Becca Carey
- Designer Sarah Rockwell
- Assistant Editor Azat Sayadi
- Editor Sierra Hahn
Benjamin #1 Will Keep You On Your Toes
After a strange back and forth dialogue in what seemed like the emptiness of space, an overweight ginger man wakes up to banging on the door. It looks very much like he’s coming off of a bender and crashed in a dirty motel room. Maybe even just a crazy homeless squatter for all I know. However, when he freaks out over people with cellphones, I realized this is something much more going on here!
It’s not until motel employee Marcus Dingle shows a little kindness to Benjamin that we find out more of his backstory. Benjamin J. Carp is a famed Science Fiction author with an extensive library to show for it. So why is this guy a derelict? From here the story gets really fun with so many surprising twists. Whenever I thought that I knew what this story was about, it took a HARD left turn!
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Benjamin #1 is a Wild Story With a Familiar Feel
Ben H. Winters takes us on one heck of trip in just the first issue of Benjamin. Every turn is a new mystery, something to keep the reader on their toes. There are plenty of familiar meta stories like this one, but this takes the plot on a new tangent. We focus on two characters at the moment: the free spirit, no nonsense intellectual Benjamin and the buttoned-up, timid Marcus Dingle. The two of them form an interesting bond and the contrasting types make their ensuing hijinks fun to follow. The dialogue is well written and the story building makes me excited and curious as to what will follow.
The Art of Benjamin #1 Has Hollywood in Mind
The art by Leomacs is a well fitting glove on the hand that is Winters’ story. From character designs to familiar environments, everything in this book feels straight off of a movie screen. It has the feeling of vintage pulp fiction comics with influences of noir and science fiction. The use of odd angles and close ups give it a classic cinematic look. The devil is in the details in this issue and Leomacs impresses with a variety of genres.
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Colors by Luca Bertele add to the psychedelic vibe of the book. He makes excellent use of colors often seen in photos of space. Blues, purples, pinks, greens, and oranges dominate the palette. Bertele offers expert complimentary color work to the intricacies of Leomacs illustrations. It provides readers with an immersive reading experience. Add the letter work from Becca Carey and her brash, imposing sound effects, and you have a complete visual treat.
Overall Grade: 10/10
Benjamin #1 is a fantastic read for fans of Science Fiction. Not only that it blends genres with mystery, thriller, and even buddy cop action/comedy. It feels like the whole package from story to art. Its paced excellently and the characters are already developing in interesting ways. This is an outstanding way to kick off the series! Don’t you agree?
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