A struggling artist, Willard Penn, scores an unlikely hit with his new comic. The story centers on a hero more concerned with his libido than serving justice. After an unexpected sell out, Willard can't recall anything about his story. That night the book's hero shows up outside Willard's window refusing to return to the comic until he finds true love. Exasperated, Willard is forced to help the lovesick hero meet the perfect woman. But he'll need to hurry because the book's villain, a homicidal maniac, has entered his world as well.
Its a well told story. I feel Brunswick sold me with Willard and his troubles. The best parts are the questions that this issue leaves me with and how that makes me curious to check back with it to see how this will all work out. Its real and I wasn't expecting it either. I'm giving this comic a 10 based solely on Brunswick's writing. Its pretty neat the way he makes you wait and the way he diverts your expectations. You come in with these important questions and he makes you forget them with some questions of his own. Read Full Review
Reality Check is a great comic that's about someone who writes a mediocre comic. It's a great idea pulled off exceptionally well by Brunswick. The cover gives the game away, but the story inside makes up for the spoiled reveal. Reality Check is funny, smart, emotional, and really cool. Image has another big hit on their hands. Read Full Review
Reality Check #1 is through and through a success is setting up this new series and its fun premise. Brunswick and Bogdanovic build the world of Willard Penn and his comic characters really well, setting the series up to be so much more than a ‘creation comes to life' tale that has me highly anticipating the next issue to see where this all begins to lead. And with the added Hollywood satirizing, there's a whole lot to like about this new series from Image Comics. Read Full Review
Reality Check #1 is definitely worth picking up – go ahead, immerse yourself in a world that is immersing itself in itself. Read Full Review
Overall, I am intrigued by and recommend this book to fellow comic folks can crave not only a different type of comic. Not too many books can jump into both worlds of the writer & creation. remember that it's mainly a set up first issue where the reader is familiarizing themselves with both characters and its certainly a promising start. Read Full Review
This comic is very unique in my opinion. The story weaves about seamlessly throughout Will's past experiences, his struggle to become an accomplished writer and as a bonus, we even get a glimpse into his own comic, Dark Hour. The story itself is dramatic, endearing, witty, and overall just a lot of fun to read. The characters are strong, the art is great, and I was sucked in through every page. Read Full Review
Brunswick doesn't overdo the insider references, and Willard is a well rounded character. Bogdanovic crafts this plastic world of LA around him at an appropriate level, and his parallel comic within a comic is deliberately familiar and derivative. Read Full Review
This comic would have been entertaining enough as a look at the life of a young, independent creator trying to make it in the industry, but Brunswick throws in a far-reaching surprise at the end of the issue; or at least, it would have been a surprise, had it not been spoiled on the very cover of this comic. This last-minute development is almost a disappointment, as it gives an indication that the comic might shift away from its well-established real-life feel to a larger-than-life one in future issues. Regardless, this issue stands on its own as something that anyone who's tried to make a go of it in the business can relate to, and it provides a big enough shock at the end to make readers see where it goes next. Read Full Review
Overall I enjoyed this issue and will be back for the second issue. It has an interesting premise and based on the ending, the book will be taking an even more unique turn. Read Full Review
This story is more than just a guy with writer's block. It offers many elements that I think anyone aspiring to do something can relate to, and the consequences of what can happen when you follow your dreams a little too closely. The meta concept is also something you don't see often and I always like a concept that hasn't been done a million times before. I don't always like how it's written and the artwork is weak in many places, but the premise is great and with the last page I can't help but be anxious to see what direction the story is going to take next. Read Full Review
It's really too early to tell what this series has to offer. It has the meta element of a comic book creator's hero popping up in the real world, but what that hero is looking for is unclear. The back story also seems to suggest this will become a romantic book, but the inking and story so far is too dark to see this as anything but a sad sap creative type learning who he is. And the superhero by his design comes to life…for some reason? Read Full Review
Unfortunately, the convoluted storyline full of rehashed parodies losses the plot focus in search of laughs. While there is potential in Reality Check it's still left to be proven capable of being fleshed out. It's a fun but ultimately empty read that'll set the stage for truly exceptional story. Read Full Review
Reality Check has promise. The creator meeting his creation is always an interesting angle, and given the type of person Dark Hour is and the type of person Willard Penn wants to be, I see a lot of potential in this story. Hopefully, now that he's laid out the background and exposition, Glen Brunswick will focus on telling the story rather than trying to prove to us that his lead character deserves a break. Because while he know that Willard Penn is a loser, we still don't care enough to see him succeed. Read Full Review
Reality Check is a very generic comic - fairly clever, with a pretty clever story and decent enough art. This comic could have been better than it was, but it's just fine. It's not great, it's not horrible, it's pretty much meh. Read Full Review
It's pretty unclear what “Reality Check” #1 intends to be. The term “reality check” is usually associated with someone coming to a realization about themselves or a situation that they're in. If that applies to our main character and there is some true growth in future issues, then “Reality Check” will deserve every bit of credit that I couldn't give it here. By trying to make Willard both a sad sack, sympathetic character and someone with a seemingly immature worldview, the story is trying to have it both ways at this point. Despite fun and expressive art, it's tough to get fully behind this one just yet. Read Full Review
Artist Viktor Bogdanovich has a clean, simple style that works well for this story that grounds itself in reality. However, there are a couple pages where the superhero action gets confusing. The hero, Dark Hour, fights a villain, but I can't figure out what's happening in one of the four panels. Whenever someone swings through the air, their body looks stiff and awkward. The scenes of Willard going about his life are all error free, but when the superhero stuff starts, clarity and anatomy drop down a peg. Read Full Review
There could be some potential here for an interesting book. The ball is in Brunswick's court, and it's up to him on how the story goes from here. Read Full Review
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