By Bill Gladman of
comicrelated.com."The Experts #1 by Kenn Minter and Clarence Pruitt. Kenn is actually a member of the Comic Related extended family and was set up at the second Comic Related booth over in the Creator Commons. Kenn is a very hard worker…that much is obvious…as he writes, inks, and letters this book….and a couple other books as well. I’ve been checking out pages of story art that Kenn regularly post on the site for months now and knew this book was on a short list of books I was walking out of the con with.
The Experts (the book) is actually a book with three different stories in which the Experts (the team of super-heroes) is the first. A team that features Doctor Delta, Free Mary, Ninja Witch (love that name and the character…my favorite of the group), Mr. Elaztik (another cool name and character), Emerald Yeti (my second favorite of the group), and Naked Man (don’t know why he’s called Naked Man….because he’s never naked in the story…but hey…I’m not complaining.)
In this first issue we learn that this team of Experts were not the first team to go by that moniker. And past members Frost Queen…and another member …that talks like Sean Connery from Highlander seem to have more than a small interest in this new line up. A conversation between the two also seems to include a few well placed clues about the past of Emerald Yeti, Mr.Elaztik, and Doctor Delta.
And speaking of the past….it seems that Naked Man and Ninja Witch have a past as well…one that Ninja Witch wants to forget….but Naked Man keeps digging up. Hilarious last panel of the story.
The book…as a whole…had an element to it that I really like but I’m sure nobody can share. Kenn’s writing and Kenn and Clarence’s art has a heavy “Larry Blake” feel to it, which I love. Larry is an artist and friend and has produced books like Dark Star, Reeealy (not a typo) Comics, and World Without Heroes out of his Rock Bottom art studios for years…hopefully I’ll see Larry again at this coming S.P.A.C.E. Con 2009.
Like the Dracula Inc. book the lead story that featured the Experts ended right when I was getting into it….but at least this story was four pages longer. And I found it interesting enough that I want to continue to read it…especially with the appearance of a character next issue that calls herself the Silver Muse…influenced in visual concept by a certain Scarlet Witch.
Unlike Dracula Inc…the stories that followed the lead were just as good or even better… (the Incredolad story was very funny and at the same time a testimony of what appears to be a trait of Kenn’s…dark satire)…and the Dr. Michael Schlessinger, PSC story…the last one in the book…was my favorite of the three.
Also liked the Incredolad promotion page….there’s that dark satire again….good stuff."
