Customer Reviews

Freshmen Volume 1

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked this book up randomly, just because the premise sounded interesting, but I ended up reading the whole thing in one day. Just the fact that the book revolves around a rag-tag superteam composed of people with some people with almost useless powers (or none at all) is funny enough, but then they get into some ridiculous situations that made me literally laugh out loud. Unfortunately, then they start to deal with some more serious topics and issues that kind of hurt the initial feel of the book. It is certainly a memorable book though, so much that I even went out and got the second one later on.

This book is fun. It's not over the top slapstick humor or full of witty conversations, but it is pretty fun. It's really well drawn by Leonard Kirk, who I remember from his great run on Peter David's Supergirl, and is written by Hugh Sterbakov, who I never heard of. Hugh mentions in his afterword that co-creator Seth Green is his best pal...so I think we all know how he broke into the field. The book is labelled Volume 1, but the story has a real ending and sequels, although welcome, aren't needed to enjoy the book.

The story: You've got a bunch of stereotypical college freshmen (except for the Amish guy and the beaver) (yeah, I just wrote the line "Amish guy and the beaver" in a review) who find themselves living in the school's science building due to a dorm shortage (except for the beaver - he is there for another reason).

When a science experiment on another floor misfires, the freshmen, and the aforementioned beaver, are all given super-powers related to whatever was on their mind at the instant of the misfire. It works out pretty well for the chick who was wondering how to get into other people's heads. But not so well for the guy looking at a squirrel or the guy who was measuring his, um, well, ahem, let's just call it his 'shortcoming'.

Anyhow, they all get drawn into a plot involving some bad guys and in the process turn into a super-hero team led by an uber-comic-book-geek who ironically happened to be out of the dorm at that critical moment when the others gained their powers.

The book collects the complete six issue miniseries, some art in progress pages, alternate covers, some pinups, introductions by Seth and Hugh, character bios and a short prose wrap-up story.

I don't think I'd give this book to anyone under the age of 14 or so since it does involve frank depictions of college age topics like sex and drinking. But for the super-hero fan looking for something lighthearted it's a good read and it is completely accesible to those who don't read other comics.

One of the greatest origin comics of our time. If you haven't been shut-in you entire adolescent life, in one way or another, you will be able to relate to one or more of these characters and totally get where they're coming from. That and super powers combined, make for a mighty fine read.

Uhmm...why are these Freshmen reviews popping up for Dawn Volume 1? Strange. I'm sure it's a great comic, and I've wanted to check it out...but still...odd.

Jim Shooter's Harbinger is what I thought of when I read this book. If you are a comicbook geek you will understand the frustration that one of the Freshmen feels (think Zepher). I do not want to spoiler (wow! thats a weird word) this book, so I will only say read it, make it a party game, insulate your life with this comic. Ok, just read it, if you are a comic lover. If you are comic hater, read Ambush Bug it is so full of comicbook references you will burn your copy and increase the value of mine. Thanks!

I got the origin trade paperback for 'Freshmen' last month. I just figured I'd give it a shot because I like Seth Green. I am VERY glad I did. That comic had me hooked right away. The characters are all cool, funny, and likable. Wannabe makes for a great unlikely hero, and I love his costume. Puppeteer is a fascinating character, I loved a scene in one issue in which she uses her power to help a comatose friend come to grips with some of her worst memories. Intoxicator was a very funny guy who has some of the best lines in the book, and his power would make for an excellent weapon when you think about it. As a Christian, I really, really liked the character Quaker. Even though the portrayal of Amish life probably isn't very accurate (I don't know much about Amish culture), I liked the fact that, although his naivete about the world and modern technology is mocked at times, his faith is NOT. During an issue in which the narration is provided by him writing a letter to his family, he at one point makes a very astute and hard- hitting observation about what crude, decadent, and generally unhappy and unfulfilling lives many of his classmates lead, compared to the harmonious life in Amish country he was used to. I LOVED the scene in the final issue in which he finally uses his amazing earthquake power, it probably ranks up as one of my all- time favorite moments in a comic book. In addition to having such likable heroes, the villains are quite effective as well. Dr. Tomlinson comes across as a man who is not necessarily evil, just someone with his priorities messed up. He shows the consequences of the reckless pursuit of science without having proper morals and ethics to guide you. The Frat Guys, in contrast, ARE evil. They were cruel bullies even before getting their powers, but after getting them, they became complete barbarians whose blatant bloodlust made them VERY scary.
The only real problem I have is that some of the characters could have been given a LOT more use and exploration, most notably Cacophony, who was barely even in it before leaving.
So, in summary, I most definitely recommend 'Freshmen,' it is an amazing comic and a proud member of my collection.