Echo vol. 1

Best known for his long-running “Strangers in Paradise” series, writer/artist Terry Moore made a name for himself with that series in the 90’s with his skills at creating richly detailed characters and relationships.  He also had the artistic talent to vividly convey these things on the page as well.  As character-driven as that series was, it might not surprise you to learn that he has taken a different approach for his latest series.  After all, as good as anyone is at mining dramatic gold from one specific storytelling approach/genre you’ll bore yourself and your audience if you keep doing the same thing over and over again.  With “Echo,” Moore has applied his talent for creating realistic characters and applied it to a premise that comes off like a stock superhero origin from Marvel or DC.  The results so far… are promising.

Julie Martin is a photographer going through a rough patch in her life right now.  Not only is she going through a divorce that she wants no part of, but she also has financial problems as well.  One day she winds up witnessing a mysterious explosion over a California desert that showers her and her car with a strange silly-putty like substance.  Said substance was previously a “super suit” being piloted by a scientist who was shot down with a missile.  It eventually congeals into a “chromium bra” of sorts that has strange electro-magnetic properties that shock anyone who approaches her with harmful intent.  As this was top-secret government tech, its owners are naturally VERY interested in getting it back.

Instead of feeling a great responsibility to fight crime due to the great power that she has acquired, Julie’s initial response is to go to the hospital and contact her friends and family to try and get some perspective on her situation.  Not only are her reactions utterly believable, but Moore uses this as a way into her world via two powerful scenes with her institutionalized sister and soon-to-be ex-husband.  While the scene with her sister successfully pulls double duty in its portrait of someone mentally damaged by loss and setting up a mystery regarding Julie’s past, it’s the scene with the ex-husband that really sticks in my mind.  He could’ve easily been turned into a one-dimensional jackass, but Moore succeeds in portraying him as a man at the end of his rope regarding the patience he has given this woman.  While we know better, it’s still hard not to sympathize with his reaction on some level after Julie confronts him in the parking lot.

The same care is also extended to the portrayals of Dillon, a park ranger and boyfriend to the scientist who previously wore the suit, and Ivy, a government operative who is assigned to find out what happened to the suit.  They’re both interesting characters, especially Ivy who looks prepared to wind up as an antagonist to Julie rather than the villain of the piece.  Even the crazy homeless guy seems like he has an interesting story to tell aside from his madness.

However, the fact still remains that this is a pretty stock premise.  Civilian winds up with secret government tech, government wants it back, cue chase scenes.  There’s really nothing in the plotting that indicates we’re going to get any twists on this setup or its execution.  Moore seems to be relying on his skill with characterization to provide the details to make this story stand out.  So far, it’s working.  Even if I’m not that curious about how the story will play out or the origins of the suit, I’m still interested in how Julie and the people around her are going to react to her circumstances.  So yeah, I want to buy the second volume now and if that’s not the mark of a successful first one, I don’t know what is.