The story presents an ex-Navy Seal named Lieutenant Jamal Lyon, who returns home after time spent in Kuwait. He's taken in by Commander Peter Trent and becomes part of the gracious man's family.
During his stay, we learn that Lyons is a man of African American and Navajo descent, whose father's promising football career was derailed by an auto accident. This woeful turn of events led his father to grow bitter, making him push the lad onto an unsavory track.
Fortunately, Lyons found solace and redemption through a medicine man named Charlie Waters, who taught the youngster bow-and-arrow skills; to gain his self-respect; and even find what would ultimately become his code name. Nonetheless, despite such encouragement, Lyons eventually faced a dire confrontation with his dad, but also the opportunity to join the Navy and from there, forge a heroic path.
Black Lion's early phases are ripe with honor and pathos, thanks to Ron Fortier's splendid story, which rose from out the ashes of an aborted Rambo concept, but now stands as its own dynamic drama. In truth, Black Lion #1 isn't really an action yarn, but rather a character-driven exploration, rich in pensive atmosphere and realistic detail: a springboard for exploits to come.
Kevin Johnson (penciler); Mark Stegbauer (inker); and Warren Montgomery (letterer/colorist) help Fortier bring the set-up to life; and the collective effort will surely make one desire a second installment (and the sooner the better, I dare say).
As many know, Fortier has a long, illustrious history in the comic field, having fashioned stories for such pop-cultural icons as the Green Hornet; the Hulk; Peter Pan; Popeye; and the Terminator. His work is always textured and diverse, and Black Lion meets and exceeds his stellar reputation.
Get in on the ground floor of Lieutenant Lyons' heroic ascent with Issue #1, now available at www.IndyPlanet.com. You'd be wise to splurge. Truly, stories of this painstaking quality are few and far between; you, like me, will salute the men who made this come to be.
Thanks for the magnificent review, Michael. And we're doing out best to get issue # 2 out a whole lot quicker than # 1. HA.
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome, Ron. I'm sure looking forward to the story's continuation--most anxious to see how Lyon (Black Lion, that is) develops!
DeleteAnother story classic by Mr. Fortier. Just added this to my collection amongst The Terminator: The Burning Earth and The Green Hornet to name a few :) now Black Lion the story and the art got me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment indeed!
ReplyDeleteI'm most anxious for the Black Lion follow-up as well. It's quite an engaging (and rather realistic) story, but one would not expect anything less from the talented Mr. Fortier.
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