I''ll be honest, when I woke up this morning this post was not what I was planning to write about. I'd intended to write about Demon Knights #23 (seeing as I'd read it practically minutes before leaving for work), but it seems life doesn't quite go as planned (though at nearing 30, I should know that by now).
The reason why I changed my topic started like this; as I got to work I quickly checked my emails before starting the day, where I found an update email from twitter about those I follow (God bless my twitter feed). I normally just skim through it but today I spotted a tweet by Rashan Ekedal which spoke of Think Tank and included this link, which has Matt Hawkins (Think Tank's writer) asking people to buy his book.
Now, there could be any number of reasons why this was written (ok, not really but you never know), but, to me, what this letter says is that Think Tank is in a bit of trouble. The thing I don't get though is why? I've been reading Think Tank since it began last year and overall, despite the odd niggle I've loved it. It's a fantastic book, I mean it's probably the second book I talk most about (ironically after Demon Knights) as I've mentioned it (to put it mildly) here, here, here and here (somewhere).
So, what is Think Tank? Well, in a nutshell, it tells the story of David Loren a genius working for the U.S. military in a think tank (hence the title) to build them weapons of the future. However, Loren has gotten tired of what he does and wants out, despite not being allowed to leave and so, using his intellect and the gadgets he creates, begins planning a way to escape from his high-tech office/prison.
Now this might sound far-fetched (and it's a comic, of course it is), but it is also fun. What I like about this title is that there is nothing else like it. This isn't a standard military book, but about a single man within and this isn't a book about James Bond, this is a book about Q, if Q were an cocky, arrogant ass. What is essentially here though is that Hawkins and Ekedal have put together a story of just an average guy (who, granted isn't quite so average) trying to escape a job he hates and live his life. I mean, who can't relate to that? Granted I don't have armed soldiers chasing me down were I to quit, but that's the basic premise under the outlandishness.
What's more is that this book is so filled with depth in all its forms. The secondary characters are so well rounded, all with their own agendas. From Mirra and Manish, to Sejic and Clarkson every one of these characters are just as intriguing as the lead for their own reasons (and the fact I remember all these characters off the top of my head is another testament to this book). Then there is the final pages of each issue, the science class pages. This book could just have gadgets made up on the fly and I woudln't care, but Matt Hawkins takes his time to explain every little technological detail to show how believable this book could be. This pages are wonderfully insightful and shows me a technical side of myself I didn't realise I had.
Then, of course, there is the art. I love a lot of artwork, but Rashan Ekedal's work is just real special. His soft pencils and the black and white colour scheme are just so beautiful that you you can't help but fall in love with each panel. What's more is his consistency!! In eight issues I don't think I've seen one off panel (or if there was it was so minor I never noticed), which just goes to show how good this guy is and how much he loves the material.
Of course, this book isn't perfect, as the change from a four issue mini to an ongoing felt a little bumpy, but in the grand scheme what book is? This book is an incredibly engrossing read and more people deserve to see it. I know I write this for myself, but if what I write here were to make one difference in the world, then I hope keeping this book going would be it. It's a book in a class all of its own and a successful one at that. Everyone should either hunt down the first eight issues or the two trades that contain them in readiness for issue 9, because when you read a comic book, don't you wanna read one that you not only enjoy but makes you smarter? For me, this one does both and I hope it continues for a good long time.
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