By Zack Quaintance — Phew, Heart Attack #1 was so good. So good, in fact, that I’m struggling a bit as to where to start heaping praise upon this book. I’ll start with where I was at with it before I read the comic. I knew this one was a must-read the moment I read that Eric Zawadzki was the artist. 

Why’s that? Well, Zawadzki’s past resume is impressive, to say the least, and I’m thinking specifically here of what is to my knowledge his most recent work prior to this comic, Eternal. That book, which was a collaboration with writer Ryan Lindsay, is the rare comic that continues to linger with me long long long after I’ve finished reading it. It’s a comic that was so well done and visually poetic, that I’ve given it to friends and family with less enthusiasm for the medium as a representative of just how good graphic sequential stories can be. The visuals throughout Eternal are as poignant as they are illustrative, and it’s all indicative of a major talent. 

Eternity was a viking tale, printed all at once in an over-sized format (relative to the majority of direct market monthlies). The visual storytelling was often spare, creating a forlorn and longing feeling that was perfectly suited to the subject matter. Heart Attack is a very different sort of comic, and it’s evident from the start, from the very first page. Our first panel is a close-shot on a surveillance camera; our second panel is the wide-angle view of what that camera is taking in: a pair of young adults standing before propaganda depicting an authoritarian (helmet, dark glasses, dark jacket, weapons, insignia, etc.) with his arms crossed, beneath a label that says “AUSTIN VCU”. Plenty of questions remain, of course, but within the space of two panels we have a setting, we have protagonists, and we have a pretty clear idea of the central tension. It’s impressive and efficient and incredibly engaging, and other feats of similar visual storytelling are accomplished throughout.

In addition, Shawn Kittlesen’s script is well-paced and filled with moments that feel well-realized. What I liked about it most, however, was how the humanity of the people on the pages was given a weight equal to the high-concept near-future societal concept the book takes place within. For every bit of world-building that was done to show the audience what was being enforced and under what guise, we got a scene that deftly doled out information about one of our characters, or — even better — we got a super-powered meet-cute that gave our plot a spark that seems likely to power it past all the other near-future dystopian cautionary tales taking place within comics on a near-weekly basis. 

There’s a lot more to like about Heart Attack #1, but the mix of quality visuals with a deeply-human script is what stood out to me the most. This book gets my highest recommendation. It’s the type of comic that makes me not only want more of this story but also more stories like it.

Overall: Heart Attack #1 is a powerful debut that announces the arrival of a major new series. Come for the immersive visual storytelling, stay for a take on dystopia that puts romance and humanity at its center. 10/10

Heart Attack #1
Writer: Shawn Kittelsen
Artist: Eric Zawadzki
Colorist: Michael Garland
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99

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