If you ever wondered what life on Mars on would look like, Jody LeHeup and Nathan Fox give us a glimpse in 'The Weatherman' and it looks a lot like earth. As such, the public still needs their daily news broadcasts including the weather and no one is more popular than Nathan Bright. His wacky weather reports lend some levity to a still-grieving citizenry. See, nearly the entire population of earth was killed off in the biggest terrorist ever. Could Nathan be responsible?
THE WEATHERMAN #1
Writer: Jody LeHeup
Artists: Nathan Fox, Dave Stewart
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: June 13, 2018
Cover Price: $3.99
Score: ★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)
It should not be a surprise that the mind behind one of the zaniest and most entertaining comics in recent memory, Shirtless Bear-Fighter, is back with another winning story. Jody LeHeup and artists Nathan Fox and Dave Stewart create a fully-formed world that centers around Nathan Bright. A guy who seemingly has it made as a wacky TV weatherman, publicly loved, who can appear to work at his leisure just seconds from the broadcast. With a loyal loving pooch named Sadie and a blossoming romance with Amanda, how could anyone suspect Nathan to be a cold-blooded genocidal terrorist?
It is that question that hooks you and the way life on Mars in the year 2770 is depicted feels lived in and real. The memorial for the 7th anniversary of the attack on earth is especially poignant because it's so relatable to the real-life atrocities that seem to happen a lot now from 9/11 to mass shootings. It's a grounding moment that gives 'The Weatherman' a familiar landscape. Fox fills each panel with a chockful of detail to the congested roadways to Nathan's apartment, it's clear that the creative team has a vision and executes it perfectly. And it's kind of a way to lull the reader with this perfectly normal sci-fi send-up that's moving and funny before all hell breaks loose.
The issue closes out with a shocking escalation of action and violence that again, Fox and Stewart capture it in vivid detail in composition and color with pulse-pounding choreography. I have to say though there is one scene that is heartbreakingly graphic that is gratuitous and could be disturbing for many readers. Let's just say John Wick would not approve.
'The Weatherman' #1 is an incredible debut that is fully immersive, exciting and captivating. LeHeup, Fox, and Stewart are all at their best with this delightful sci-fi mystery. This is a can't-miss read.
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