Welcome to Tranquility, Book One

I'm not a huge fan of superhero comics, but this one is not your normal superhero comic. Tranquility is the town where superheroes and supervillains go to retire and escape from their former lives. Here they live, recount old tales, raise families, and exist as mostly normal people. Not much happens here...and then, one day, a murder occurs. And then others follow. It's up to the sheriff, the daughter of a former hero, to solve the crime and protect the town. Will she be able to solve the murder before the town is torn apart? Or will the world be destroyed first? Turn the page and find out...

It's an interesting story concept--Superhero's and supervillains living together in supposed harmony, even becoming friends, and growing old together. But...there are some plot holes. At times I turn the page and wonder if I've missed something. Such as who the sheriff's father is. Or who some of the characters are that show up, like the young teen heroes (apparently they used to be on TV?) Some of it gets revealed as the issue continues, but it creates for some "wha...the heck just happened here" moments. It's a decent enough of story, but feels like it could have been arranged a bit differently to present a more cohesiveness. The artwork is decent enough, nothing really spectacular or amazing stands out about it, but it does work well for the story.

In short...it's an interesting addition to the superhero genre and does have some creative, entertaining characters...and even with its faults I'd still recommend it. I look forward to reading a future volume and hope that perhaps the story telling is a little bit better in it. ( )

The art (great splash panels, exquisite borders), pacing and storyline make this an engaging read. Tranquility is where old superheroes go to retire--a quiet town, until someone murders one of their own. What I most loved about this graphic novel were the flashbacks to the heroes in their prime--these panels were inked to look like they were printed on the old-style newsprint. Kudos to Gail Simone and Neil Googe for bringing us this storyline! ( )