Minor Threats #1 Review

By Nolan P Smith
Editor

The life of a supervillain isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Sure, there are the arch nemesis who strike fear in the hearts of our favorite protagonists. But then there are these guys: minor threats to a world filled with superheroes. That’s the gist of Minor Threats #1, a brand new look at supervillains from Dark Horse Comics.

From Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, Scott Hepburn, and Ian Herring, this is a brand new, fresh superhero universe, with zaney heroes and villains at every turn. Our story focuses on the C-grade villains of Twilight City, including Playtime, once villainous sidekick to her mom, now a down-on-her-luck bartender at a dive bar for supervillains. But when the supervillain Stickman crosses the line and kills the sidekick of the heroic Insomniac, the world is sent into chaos. Villains are hunted down, which leads Playtime to make a play of her own.

Oswalt and Blum really give a dose of humanity to these villains. The pain of failing. Not being able to be the parent your child needs you to be. And a glimpse into the eye of payback as the heroes strike back in ways a villain would have plotted. I love seeing a glimpse into the lower grade levels of a rogues gallery, and I can’t wait to see how they plan to destroy a greater evil than themselves.

I love the superhero genre and seeing all the different, impactful stories that can be told with superheroes. Marvel and DC, of course, pioneered it, but Minor Threats hits me like another recent superhero epic, The Black Hammer. It’s an absolute breath of fresh air, and I am all in for the ride. Pick this one up while you can, and get ready to rumble!

Rating: 4.5 Pastrami Nations out of 5