The Activity #1 tells the tale of a super-secret government agency tasked with delicate operations that other agencies are unable to handle. In this book, we're introduced to the operators on the team and given a glimpse at their special skills and first-rate equipment. The real find with this book is Mitch Gerads, the artist. Because of his work, this book really shines.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that you're like me in not being too familiar with Mitch Gerads' work. Well, it's good. Damn good. Gerads has a good sense of light and shadow to go with strong texture work. His layouts are extremely effective at pulling the reader into the next frame or page. The most abundantly apparent quality about the art is that Gerads is an excellent storyteller, as he shows himself capable of carrying the story even in sections written entirely in a foreign language. Kyle Latino is credited as Gerads' "color assistant," but it looks as if the colors were largely selected and directed with the same cinematic style that guided the pencils and inks.
The story itself is sleek and cool, but it doesn't have a whole ton to it. We meet the agents and see them carry out two missions, but there isn't too much amplitude to the drama just yet. In a way, that's fitting, though. Despite references to difficulty in the past and a hint of trouble to come, you'd expect a capable elite forces crew to be flawless and as cool as cucumbers for at least two missions. The missions themselves are cool ideas that are fun to watch unfold, despite their brevity. I also appreciate the approach that Edmondson is taking to the book. There's jargon, but it's not overwhelming. Edmondson isn't apologetic about refusing to hold the readers' hands, but he's not overly technical or cryptic either.
This book is sure to keep the ultra-cool special ops storylines coming and to work deeper into the characters, but this first issue stands on its own as a nice taste of what's to come. Sure, the story's a little light on action, but the artwork is excellent and the characters are engaging. This title has a lot of potential, and fans of this genre would do well to jump on board at the ground level.
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