Comic Book Review: Hidden Society #1

Hidden Society #1

Dark Horse Comics

Writer: Rafael Scavone

Artist: Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Costa

Any comic book that has Rafael Albuquerque on art is instantly worth checking out. The artist most known for his fantastic work in American Vampire always takes over the comic he works on in the best way. Hidden Society #1 is the latest comic book to feature Albuquerque’s work, but is he enough to carry this new series to success?

If we are just going off of the first issue, he is, unfortunately, unable to make Hidden Society interesting. The new series written by Rafael Scavone just doesn’t have enough interesting elements in its debut to hook the reader. Even worse, it is simply boring at times, with pacing that only makes the issue harder to get into.

All of this is sad because the art isn’t the only interesting piece of Hidden Society. The concept is neat as well even if it feels a bit too familiar. A dangerous, evil force is coming to cause trouble for Earth, so an old magical-looking guy recruits a small team of misfits to fight back. A bounty hunter, a blind woman attached to a demon, and a magician will need to come together to save the planet. While the characters are somewhat interesting, the uneven introductions and boring pacing make it almost impossible to connect with any of them. To make matters worse, the stakes aren’t really established in this issue, leaving readers wondering if this series is worth investing in.

Even with all of these pitfalls, Rafael Albuquerque remains a star. The character designs are great, and while the writing doesn’t do a great job of introducing the reader to the characters, the art itself gives them extra personality. The panel layouts are simple but allow the action to flow smoothly. At no point will the reader get lost or even lose interest because of the sequential art. Marcelo Costa’s colors are gorgeous, adding life to the environment. The shading adds a great level of depth to Albuquerque’s art, making this a beautiful book.

Hidden Society has a lot going for it as a series, but this debut does a poor job at hooking readers. Still, this book might be worth investing in. The concept is sound and the art is spectacular, the pacing and presentation just need to be cleaned up a little.