Horsemen

(Griot, 2002)
™ and © Griot Comics

It’s a common urge among many younger creators: cram too much, too soon into a new series. The first issues of many series featuring super-teams are chock-full of enough weird names, costumes, and backstories to choke the most patient and open-minded readers. And, after reading the very first page of this first issue of Horsemen, it appears as though writer and penciller Jiba Molei Anderson will succumb to the same indigestible temptation. Fortunately, though, this macro-level explanation is only an overview, and Anderson immediately thereafter pares the story down to a more palatable size.

The Horsemen are a pantheon of seven gods who have instilled their essences in seven unborn children. Legend has it that this amalgamation of gods and mortals will make them powerful enough to defend the planet from the as-yet-unseen force that threatens it. But Anderson’s focus in this issue is primarily the unveiling of these seven beings, who are now adults with, in super-team tradition, super-powers. And this is easy enough to swallow, despite such confusing character names as Eshu, Oshun, and Ogun.

Anderson’s pencils, along with Michael Larson’s inks, demonstrate a Stuart Immonen-type fluidity that gives each character a different look while moving the story along. There’s nothing brilliant or inventive here, but fans of super-hero teams who are looking for a good example of how to begin such a series would do well to look for this one.

— Jim Johnson

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Notes

Writer

Artist

#1

Cover Price: $2.95
2 copies available from $5.25

Jiba Molei Anderson

#2

Cover Price: $2.95
2 copies available from $4.50

Jiba Molei Anderson

Michael Larson, Jiba Molei Anderson