I first discovered comic books in the early 90s. I was a huge fan of the X-Men and Batman: The Animated Series and my brother, whose sports collectibles shop sold comics as well, shipped me some unsold issues of various comics. Although I first came to comics in the 90s, I became quickly addicted and through the use of my local library and back-issue bins, quickly began devouring older stories from the Silver and Bronze Age. And of the comics I read, the Bronze Age ones were undoubtedly my favorite.
For those who aren’t aware, the Bronze Age of comics generally refers to the period between 1970-1985. There was also a mixture of darker, more socially relevant storytelling. This is the era that brought us such classic stories as The Dark Phoenix Saga, The Night Gwen Stacy Died, Snowbirds Don’t Fly, and Frank Miller’s groundbreaking run on Daredevil. But even with the darker stories, there still remained elements of the fun of the Silver Age stories (unlike comics that followed and continue to this day, where grim ‘n’ gritty is used as a shortcut for good storytelling).
It’s clear that Landon Porter and I are cut from the same cloth, because The Descendants definitely follows in the mode of those stories. The group of young superhumans we meet in Welcome to Freeland House have some been through some trying situations, but they still maintain their youthful exuberance and act just as any other teenage kid would act. And like the Bronze Age comics of old, Porter gives us short, self-contained stories with larger story-arcs playing in the background.
Porter proves himself a master of the serial format, expertly weaving in and out the multitude of character arcs and plotlines that never drag on for a page longer than they should.
Some of the story elements didn’t win me over as much. I didn’t quite understand why the story was set in the future as the setting seemed like it could easily be the modern-day. I also wasn’t very fond of the non-powered friends of Warrick and Cyn. But the interactions of the residents of Freeland House, particularly Warrick and Cyn, more than make up for these weaker points.
Pick up The Descendants Complete Collection Volume 1: Welcome to Freeland House from Amazon or read it in serial format at the website.
If you’re looking for more superhero action, check out my Vanguard serial (issue #4 coming out Monday, April 20th!).