By Zack Quaintance — Stealth #1 is one of those comics that’s going to be almost impossible to review without revealing the central twist within this story. But I have (inexplicably) chosen to create and run a website where I review comics (within which I have inexplicably chosen to write about this very hard to write about comic) so I shall do my best. 

First things first, I enjoyed Stealth #1. It’s one of a few recent new Skybound/Image series that are based off of ideas that writer Robert Kirkman explored with artists a few years ago in one-shots, I believe (the other specific book that fits this bill being Hardcore, which is now in the midst of its second miniseries). That’s pretty much all I knew about Stealth going into it.

I was more than pleasantly surprised but what I found in the pages of this book. The story opens from the perspective of one of the last-standing journalists in Detroit. Regular readers of this site (as well as my Twitter feed) are likely well-aware by now that this checks all kinds of boxes for my personal interests. My wife and are both journalists by trade whose careers have been impacted by the type of local news outlet diminishment that gets a mention in this book, where our main character works at a paper that’s been cut by 40 percent. At the same time, I cover the inner workings of local government, and urban revitalization (as well as Detroit specifically) are both steady areas within my coverage.

Anyway, this is all a means of saying that Stealth is inherently engaged with some truly interesting and timely subject matter just within its concept alone. Now comes the part where I work hard to discuss this without spoiling the twist. The real character-based story of this book has to do with our main character also caring for his diminished father, a once proud and strong firefighter who’s having some mental acuity issues. This is another timely topic for comics readers of a certain generation and age, and I’m sort of on the younger cusp of that. My parents are both fine (for now), but they have enough blooming idiosyncrasies related to aging that I’ve gotten a glimpse of the future. It’s always nice to encounter a monthly comic (and one that is ostensibly about superheroes, no less) that pays attention to this type of real world adult issue. 

Finally, about that twist. It really is an excellent one that maybe readers familiar with this character and concept could have seen coming. I certainly did not, but I thought it was brilliant, and I’m happy/excited to talk about the specifics moving forward at some point in the future.

Overall: 8.0/10
Stealth #1 (of 6)
Writer: Mike Costa
Artist: Nate Bellegarde
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Publisher: Skybound / Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Solicit: SERIES PREMIERE! For decades, Stealth has waged war on crime in Detroit, but now he's taken his pursuit of justice too far. Only reporter Tony Barber knows that behind Stealth's reckless behavior is an older man battling Alzheimer's-his father. A father unwilling to accept that he's no longer the hero this city needs... with enemies all too eager to force his retirement. Created by ROBERT KIRKMAN and MARC SILVESTRI, STEALTH is an action-packed series, perfect for readers who enjoy Black Panther and Iron Man.

Read more great comic book reviews here!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.