DNAgents Industrial Strength Edition [Paperback]

Mark Evanier (Author), Will Meugniot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2008

DNAgents by Mark Evanier and Will Meugniot may well have been the prototype for today's comic book industry. Not only was it released through one of the first independent publishers, not only was it creator-owned, but it was prescient in its use of genetic manipulation to create superpowers and its setting in the halls of an evil multi-national corporation! Award-winning television writer/producer, Evanier and acclaimed animation producer/director, Meugniot were clearly ahead of the curve and DNAgents remains one of the most fondly remembered books of the 1980s! Now, the entire Meugniot-drawn DNAgents are collected in one volume with extensive notations, never-before-published artwork, and bonus features.

Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Image Comics (November 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582409692
• ISBN-13: 978-1582409696
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,751,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked 80s gem, January 31, 2010

By 

Kid Kyoto (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: DNAgents Industrial Strength Edition (Paperback)

Though not as famous, the DNAgents deserve to be ranked among Clarmont's X-Men and Wolfman's Teen Titans as one of the great superhero books of the 80s. Mark Evanier's writing drips with soap opera and intrigues, Will Meugniot's art is sexy but realistic.

At first glance you'll see a pretty typical team of 5, we have the hotheaded guy, the big guy with a heart of gold, the short insecure guy who comes through in the end, the cute trusting girl and the hot smart girl. And that about sums it up, but veteran writer Evanier is able to deliver entertaining stories building on this classic mix. He has them fail early on and builds that failure into later story arcs.

The DNAgents' origin as artificial life grown by a corporation is a cliche now, but at the time it was innovative. More interestingly for this entire 400+ page book they remain good corporate soldiers obeying orders for the evil CEO. There's friction and it's clear a confrontations will come but Evanier avoided the obvious cliche and built slowly.

The book is filled with extras, sketches, behind the scenes stories and other fun tidbits. Even in black and white the art is gorgeous, it's been restored and in some places redrawn by Meugniot himself.

As with most comics from the 80s, the DNAgents are still products of their times. There are dated references, and comic book cliches. While the DNAgents were generally more realistic than other books it still has terrorist armies dressed in Halloween costumes and industrial spies with more gadgets than James Bond. But the stories are solid and the characters grow on you quickly. Plus Meugniot delivers at least one scene of girl lounging in their underwear per issue! For $25 this is a solid entertainment value for your money, I hope there will be a volume 2.