‘Radiation Day #1’ Comic Review

As our presence at events and conventions has grown, so has our knowledge of the independent comic book industry. There are a plethora of writers, artists, and creators out there making comic books not distributed by the big publishers. They don’t get their monthly titles in stores all across the country; in fact, they don’t always get monthly titles because the bills have to come first. These indie titles are just like independent movies, independently-published books, and web series.

Oftentimes they are made from the heart and they range in greatness just as much as the major titles. But as much as I don’t want to say it, there’s usually so much content out there that a lot of it seems to run together. Recently, in Kansas City, we were introduced to the new ongoing series Radiation Day: a comic book that is very different; a post-apocalyptic, buddy cop comedy that doesn’t have zombies. Yeah. A winning recipe.

Radiation Day Comic 01 Review 01

One part dramatic storyline, One part action-packed buddy comedy, All Parts end-of-the-world shenanigans/potty mouthery.

Preparing to head out into that wasteland to pick up a high-priced package, two partners, Six and Osa, quickly brace for some action. The person paying them to do the job has already spoiled it before it begins. However, it isn’t something that’s new for these two guys.

Six and Osa are partners. They aren’t bad, but they aren’t necessarily good either. The two take odd jobs to help improve their lives in a post-apocalyptic world full of small, dense communities spread out across the wasteland that was once the United States. The story of Radiation Day #1 centers around the setup of what Six and Osa are doing and what the world has become. Like in any good first issue, none of that information is necessarily disclosed. You need to read further issues.

Radiation Day #1 was a quick, albeit fun, read. The issue seems to fly by with very little leaked. Characters are introduced properly, and the setup is delivered so that the reader knows exactly what to expect in terms of flow and direction from this ongoing run.

Radiation Day Comic 01 Review 02

The story for Radiation Day is hard to gauge at this point, but there’s plenty of potential. The entire premise is more than enough to keep me curious, but the writing proved strong with a quick establishment of the great dynamic between these two protagonists. Although there is no color in the issue I read, the artwork is also very strong. I enjoyed the look of the entire issue, especially the futuristic concepts such as with the masks, vehicles, and the wasteland cities.

Overall, Radiation Day #1 is a solid starting point for an independent series. Besides having a strong desire to read the second issue, I also hope to see a fan interest drive new opportunities to make this comic run bigger and better.

Here’s hoping Six and Osa have many adventures to come.

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