the Spark

Comic Book Reviews: the Spark

posted on January 27th, 2009 in Reviews

The Spark GN
Written by Martin Renard
Illustrated by Nahuel Sagarnaga Cozman
Published by Studio 407
Reviewed by Richard Caldwell

The story of the Spark details the character of teenage Lucas- a good kid, albeit overburdened already with achieving straight A’s, after school employment, and helping to maintain his family’s blue collar home life. Anybody possessing an iota of responsibility will identify completely. Then the Spark happens…

Strange and abrupt alien lights in the sky, the government acting funny and the media enjoying the field day of it all. The last time the Spark occurred some fifteen years prior, the world was given a quartet of super-powered heroes, all of whom eventually met ill fates in their chosen call to duty. This time around again, heroes are born, though not all jump at the chance to play superstar.

This is beautifully realistic. Not once does Lucas ever come off reading like some emo twerp. Honestly, he is just over-extended enough as is, by the demands of daily living. The promise of added responsibilities is too much, for himself or almost anyone in the real world to actually and willingly endure. This is the story in part of the weight of heroics, of the price and limitations of the frailty abounding humane and personal sacrifice. This is Peter Parker-esque when Peter Parker is being written by someone with a clue. Renard has crafted a remarkably adept tale, one which I truly wish could find the means to proceed as an ongoing. There will likely be comparisons to Invincible, though I believe this work comes from a place of less ego, and more understanding of basic psychology and intuition.

As fun as the story reveals itself to be, the art matches and raises the bank with every blessed panel. I have honestly never heard of this artist, Cozman, before, but this is the work of a highly skilled storyteller. The scene construction and dimensions were eye candy, the flow was natural. I can think of a list of artists who would need twice the page count to tell the story of the Spark, though not once was this presentation in any way claustrophobic. The members of this creative team are most definitely ones to watch.

If anything, the book earns major cookie points for possibly one of the best incorporations of a wet t-shirt scene in comic book history, as well as a fantastically semantic-driven resolution for an alien invasion scenario. Much thought went into this.
This is good comix. Damn good.