Ghost Machine, the startup coop that publishes through Image Comics, has four different comic book universes. And the last out of the gate has been “Family Odysseys,” which aims to bring fun, family-focused books to the public — while not shying away from some darker themes and big heroics. That was evident in the debut title, The Rocketfellers. And the line comes into clearer focus with the second book, Hornsby & Halo #1, which finds a teen demon and angel teaming up.
…Or at least that will happen, eventually. The first issue of the new title from Peter J. Tomasi and Peter Snejbjerg is very much setting the stage for what’s to come, as we get the extremely New Gods style setup of Heaven and Hell brokering a peace by trading children. Only instead of sending one to Hell, and the other to Heaven, the angel baby is sent to a bad household on Earth; while the demon baby is sent to a good one. As the book itself plainly says, what’s more important? Nature, or nurture?
In the early going it seems probably a little of both, as Zachary Halo and Rose Hornsby grappling with their families, and — spoiler here — discovering they get fantastic powers and cool new costumes as they sleep. It’s teen superheroes with a dash of biblical mythology. And Tomasi has shown himself an old hand at this sort of thing thanks to his lauded run on DC’s Super-Sons… Rose and Zachary aren’t quite as extreme as Damian Wayne and Jon Kent, but it should be fun to see them interact — eventually.
Snejbjerg aslo — and no surprise here — draws the whole thing with aplomb. His Heaven and Hell as grandiose, while scenes set on Earth are far more intimate. There’s a breadth there, but the real draw is going to be the designs for Rose and Zachary in “costume.” Luckily, they’re instantly iconic and fun, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens when they come up against more superpowered villains than the graverobbers they fight in issue one.
Overall, there’s a lot of promise here, and a lot of fun to be had. It’s not quite Odyssey level yet, but if you’re a fan of teen superheroes, there is some devilish fun here — even if it’s not quite angelic, at least not yet.
Hornsby & Halo #1 Rating:
Hornsby & Halo #1 Official Synopsis:
It’s Good vs. Evil from the minds of PETER J. TOMASI (Batman and Robin, Super Sons) and PETER SNEJBJERG (Starman, B.P.R.D.)!
Keeping the cosmic peace isn’t easy. But the opposing leaders of Heaven and Hell broker a deal that trades Zachary Halo, an angel child, to a demon family, and Rose Hornsby, a demon child, to an angel family, and hope this truce will halt the winds of war. It’s Nature versus Nurture as the turbulence of adolescence comes crashing down on two teenagers who have no idea just who and what they truly are…yet.
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