Steve Orlando (Midnighter, Virgil) brings us his only original series of 2016, a gripping story about the nature of identity.
Once every seven years, Earth overlaps with Ektae, a world where alchemy is not pseudo-science but the driving force of industry. For seven days, Ektae breaches our world, bringing dirty magic and ideas.
Jordan Molossus was born of Earth and Ektae and abandoned by both, but when he receives two cast iron urns containing his estranged fathers' ashes, he'll leave everything behind to put his parents to rest before Ektae disappears for another seven years.
CONCLUSIONNamesake is a solid first issue overall, and a nice addition to BOOM! Studios original, non-licensed work. As much as I have enjoyed those properties, it's great to see the publisher step out with more new and original work to put on the shelves. And at just four issues, it's an investment well worth your time. I'll stick around and see where this takes me and I think you should do. Read Full Review
Overall, this is an original and fascinating story that will keep readers engaged. With a nail-biting cliffhanger at the end, issue 2 cannot come soon enough. Read Full Review
In NAMESAKE #1, Steve Orlando and Jakub Rebelka craft an original story that will invite you through panels of questioning identity and colorful action. This first entry of a four-part mini-series dazzles with striking art while introducing the epic of a man of two worlds on the run with two urns. Read Full Review
Alchemy may not be an exact science, but Orlando and Rebelka got the mix of magical and mundane just right this time around. Read Full Review
Namesake #1 is a solid debut that will take us on a magical journey of discovery and it's one I can't wait to read the next issue. Read Full Review
Regardless, Namesake is a thoroughly interesting read. While I wasn't at all sure at the start of the story, by the middle of the issue I knew the creators were onto something special here. The premise is wild and interesting, more so through Steve's presentation, and the art fits the themes of the script completely. Any comic that has me vocalise “I enjoyed that read,” on putting it down is a winner in my book. Especially when a couple of pages in I'm expecting my opinion of the piece to be less than favourable. It's not too often I do a complete 180 after a few pages, but I'm happy to admit that for Namesake, I did just that. Read Full Review
Namesake #1 succeeds based on the unique and compelling world it creates, the complicated character at its heart, and effectiveness of its classical quest narrative. The combination of the innovative and the familiar means that there's more than enough here to bring you back for issue #2, and promises a lot to come. Read Full Review
Namesake #1 is certainly visually striking, though, with Rebelka's inventive panel layouts and searing colour palette bringing life equally well to gritty street-party chaos and distant alien citadels. This first issue isn't perfect by a long shot, but it's very promising, and not many series can lay claim to that after such a concise introduction. Read Full Review
It's going to be fun to see how Jordan goes about discovering his past with so many obstacles in his way. In any case, I am more than willing to follow him as he tries to figure it out. This is a great story with an awesome science fiction feeling to it. Sci-fi fans who love adventure, this series is definitely for you. It comes out this Wednesday, so make sure to pick it up at your local comic book shop (comicshoplocator.com)! Read Full Review
Namesake promises a lot; a compelling personal story of identity and family set in a universe where the mundane and magical worlds are at odds with one another and anything can happen. Will Orlando be able to deliver on this within a four issue mini-series? I think he has set up enough to peak my interest in this story even if the first issue fell flat. But no matter what I know that Rebelka's art will make any journey into this world gorgeous to look at. Read Full Review
Conclusion: I hate to say it but this just is not a good book. With the very confusing concept and layout it just makes it tough to get through. It feels like the same fantasy wheel house of books like Rebornand Seven to Eternity,but where this book fails they shine. Those two books are also fantasy worlds that throw you into the mix but you don't feel lost or confused with those books like I did with Namesake. The writers and artist in those books do a much better job of bringing the reader into this strange world and not letting them get too lost in all the differences and concepts. For a four issue mini series Namesake has already floundered out with being an confusing first issue and what could be a promising story ends up dull and uninteresting. I feel like this could be a great concept but it is just very poorly executed in story and art. Read Full Review
Review wise, the second issue would have to do something worth talking about. More than likely I won't be back to review the final three issues. On the level as a reader, I would give this series one more issue. I know it's only four and most readers would say that's enough of a reason to continue, but this first issue is weak and doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the remaining three. I'll read another, but it has some work cut out for it. It's a shame; I was hoping this one would hit the ground running; instead, it's a stumble and trip. Read Full Review
The art is interesting, if uneven, but the exposition-filled story didn't grip me enough to follow this to issue 2
Tried this out on a whim but it didn't really do it for me. Nothing particularly wrong with the writing or the art but it didn't stand out from within the well worn themes it explored.
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