The Forgotten

(Fintan, 2003)
™ and © Fintan Studios

Grealish and Young have brought elements from Kurt Busiek’s Astro City into real-life Philadelphia. In this continuity, Philly was once populated by an abundance of super-heroes, but over time their presence has dwindled to the point where many have been, as the title says, forgotten. But when a vigilante surfaces, one who apparently has mind-wiping powers, the hero-starved media fall all over themselves to expose this new hero.

Except this may not be a new hero at all, or so a college student researching a 1970s hero called Mr. Mystery finds out, with the help of a local reporter. Halfway through the series, both writers have managed to cook up a pretty decent tale, even though a revelation in the second issue isn’t all that surprising, and the narrative is often flat or clichéd.

The team of artists also turn in a more-than-competent, if inconsistent, pair of issues. Forcucci’s pencils in the second issue are superior to his predecessor’s on the first; Cheeseman-Meyer needs to work on his perspective and making characters look the age they claim to be. And the skills of the rotating panel of inkers vary greatly and make for wildly abrupt transitions of style from page to page.

Overall, though, the team avoids many of the rookie lapses that frequently hamper efforts such as this. This is one of the better Astro City-inspired comics.

— Jim Johnson

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