Frank Miller Presents; $7.99

Unveiled in Frank Miller Presents Ashcan #1, Dan DiDio’s Ancient Enemies has a compelling set-up: a centuries-old conflict between two alien races finds its final battlefield on Earth, and as a side effect there is a surge in super-powered humans, any of whom might affect the outcome of the alien war.

Spun into motion by the events in the ashcan, the first issue is packed full of new characters and situations. It’s very intriguing. DiDio, artist Danilo Beyruth, colorist Alex Sinclair, and letterer Carlos Mangual deliver a solid read with quite a bit of promise. The extra page count gives this issue the feeling of a great feature film, TV movie, or short graphic novel.

And like any great comic book, it has me ready for the next issue.

Interestingly – both from a story and a collecting perspective – while the teaser for Ronin Book II #1 in the ashcan was comprised of pages from the first issue, the Ancient Enemies teaser original material and not included in Ancient Enemies #1, though it has significant impact on it.

It’s definitely worth checking out, if you haven’t already done so!

– J.C. Vaughn