Customer Reviews

Tech Jacket Volume 1: The Boy From Earth (v. 1)

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

 

 

One of the other reviews on this page pretty much says it all, however since I'm sure so few Invincible, Walking Dead fans have actually read Tech Jacket, I felt obligated to give it another review.

If you love Robert Kirkman's work (and if you're on this page right now I'm assuming you do) then you have to read this book, simply because it's his first creator owned series! Kirkman writes a wonderful forward in the beginning of the book, telling how Tech Jacket and Invincible basically came out around the same time but Invincible sales were SLIGHTLY better, he had to stop one of the books and he chose Tech Jacket. Was that the right call? Probably since Invincible is my favorite superhero comic series of all time!

Tech Jacket just didn't get the chance to continue, however it shows a great beginning to a great writer's career. The only reason the book isn't 5 stars is because it feels like the story being told is slightly rushed and it's underdeveloped, but saying anything negative about Kirkman's work is me being really really picky. It's a really fun story with likeable characters, good humor, and very fitting artwork. I do hope Kirkman goes back to Tech Jacket in the future.

I'm a big fan of Spider-man, but haven't really been able to get into other comic book titles. When I received Tech Jacket, it was with surprise I read the catch-phrase on the back cover: "With infinite power comes infinite responsibility."

Great, I thought, a wannabe Spidey clone.

While there are some similarities, the story was fun and the art was good. Our hero suffers none of the angst that seems to plague many teenage superheroes. It's just a shame that volume 1 will apparently be the only volume. While the story doesn't necessarily leave you hanging, it feels like there is a lot of missed potential. For instance, his armour can talk, and one feels may have been capable of developing artificial intelligence. Can you imagine? Knight Rider meets Guyver meets Spider-man.

Despite its brevity, I'd really recommend picking this one up.

Zach and his dad (discussing the tech jacket):
- Dad: "Did you ever figure out how strong you are?"
- Zach: "...I don't know... I threw a big space ship into another one and made them both blow up one time..."
- Dad (after a pause): "That's pretty cool."

Robert Kirkman's INVINCIBLE may be better well known, but his truncated TECH JACKET series not only published ahead of INVINCIBLE (by a mere two months) but featured another teen suddenly shouldered with awesome super powers. But while INVINCIBLE's Mark Grayson had inherited his amazing abilities from his extraterrestrial dad, Zack Thompson gained his thru the tech jacket.

The Geldarians are a vastly intellectual race, whose physical make-ups have over time grown alarmingly fragile. To compensate for this weakness, sophisticated, talking body armors called tech jackets were crafted and given to each Geldarian at birth. The tech jacket grows and matures with its wearer, augmenting native strength and durability and adapting to the wearer's particular skills and interests. The tech jacket is classified as one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. And high schooler Zack Thompson ends up with one of them.

What's TECH JACKET? It's a riproaring space opera. It's a bit of high school drama. And a bit of teenaged superheroing. This made for some fun reading. Kirkman injects these stories with humor and an all-around lighthearted sensibility. But the tech jacket is no joke. It turns out that Zack's earthly mass is naturally stronger and sturdier than a Geldarian's. Because of this, his tech jacket renders him more powerful, exponentially, than a typical Geldarian sporting a tech jacket. How powerful? Powerful enough to heave a space ship into the sun. Powerful enough that, when he's recruited to fight with the Geldarians against their enemies, the Kresh, he becomes a one-man wrecking crew. This also comes in handy when, back on earth, neighborhood thugs push up on his dad. So far, the only negative is that Zack can't get the tech jacket to come off.

It even gives him bacteria-removal treatments in bed. Dude doesn't have to shower anymore.

TECH JACKET is Robert Kirkman's first creator-owned book at Image Comics, and it's disappointing that it only lasted six issues. But, back in 2003, when steadily flagging sales hinted of impending cancellation, Kirkman decided to take the plunge and end the series himself so that Zack could go out in style. In his foreword in the TECH JACKET: THE BOY FROM EARTH trade paperback, Kirkman goes on to mention his regret at prematurely ending the series. After all, INVINCIBLE and THE WALKING DEAD both went thru early periods when they didn't sell all that well, and yet now they've reached the 50th issue landmark. But, who knows, in the world of comics, there's always a do-over. It's never too late to bring back Zack Thompson and his multi-functional wardrobe. Anyway, TECH JACKET Volume 1: THE BOY FROM EARTH collects the entire 6-issued run and also comes with artist E.J. Su's sketchbook (including what would've been the covers for issues #7 & 8, before Kirkman axed the series).

Kirkman sure is in tune with what makes a teenager tick. His INVINCIBLE stuff is a must-read title. And TECH JACKET itself, in my opinion, was off to a promising start (of course, the poor sales back then tend to sneer at my opinion). Kirkman had laid in solid groundwork with the tech jacket mythos and the ongoing war between the Geldarians and the gaseous Kresh. The main character, Zack Thompson, isn't one of those tortured, angst-ridden kids, but more like your everyteen type, and so very relatable. It's nice to every now and then read about a kid who isn't burdened with emotional baggage. In fact, one of the best things about this series happens to be Zack's easy-going relationship with his dad. One particular laugh-out loud moment surfaces when they conduct a backyard experiment with the tech jacket.

E.J. Su provides the artwork, and his manga-influenced style fits this title to a T. I like how Su puts in such detailed work into the look of the tech jacket. Drawing mecha-suits can be so painstaking.

One downside is that, this time, there's a simplicity to Kirkman's storytelling. The stories in this series aren't as complex as those in THE WALKING DEAD or even INVINCIBLE. But I'm guessing that's because Kirkman has had time to develop richer content in those series. He never got that with TECH JACKET. Which sucks, because this series had serious potential and could've gone in so many directions.

For the fourteen TECH JACKET fans out there, here's a bone: Tech Jacket has at least been popping up in other Image comics (INVINCIBLE #27, BRIT #9 & 10), so he hasn't been completely neglected. Maybe, someday, Robert Kirkman can put out a mini-series or something, just to catch us up with Zack Thompson. But it might be a while. Kirkman's a busy dude.

Launched around the same time as Invincible with similar low sales, Tech Jacket got axed while Kirkman plowed ahead with Invincible which eventually won fans over. Tech Jacket is a good book. The story is not all that deep as a high school boy is gifted with a suit of alien armor that gives him incredible powers. It is a combination of Green Lantern and Iron Man. I would love to have seen what Kirkman would have done with this series given more time. The complete 6 issues are published here and do complete the story arc, but you are left wondering what could have been. On the plus side this is along with Capes, Brit and Wolf-Man within the Invincible universe, so Tech Jacket may see a return in some way. The one negative I can see about this book is the art. The manga styled art is solid in some ways, but everyone looks like a young boy. There is also a lack of facial expressions. There is one point in which the boy's father is crying and there is no change expression from earlier panels. In time the artist would probably have grown more into the work. This is a definite pick up for Kirkman fans.