Who knew we’d ever root for Cleveland? Thanks Apama!

You get the first five issues in this volume of Apama. Within those five issues you go on a crazy ride from the life of a mundane ice cream driver to his transition to being a full-fledged superhero.

During a hike Ilyia Zjarsky finds a powerful animal spirit that mankind has never known. And once gaining those powers, he uses them to protect the streets of Cleveland Ohio. Among the powers he gains are the different strengths and abilities of animals, along with the ability to speak with animals.

I really enjoyed the writing for this; it had that old-school comic book feel to it. Writers Ted Sikora and Milo Miller also did a very good job of building up the cast of villains within these 5 issues—with them all having their own unique and bizarre origins. Hopefully we get to see more of these guys in the issues going forward, and also a slew of new villains to test Apama on his way.

The art for the series is pretty good as well. What I really enjoyed is the character designs. Apama’s costume is awesome looking! So is the way the artist draws the different animals he interacts with during the series. Another great attribute of the art was the coloring of this title; it really put another layer of depth to the pages.

There’s a ton of bonus features in the book as well: from sharing the process of writing, to the art and the different stages the art goes through up to the finished product. And then after reading this, if you find you need more, there’s also an indie movie that goes along with this title. It’s a must see for all Apama fans!

Final verdict: if you’re looking for something weird and off the beaten trail, I suggest you give this title a shot.

Apama volume one gets…

3 Out of 5 Whiskey Shots

STORY BY
Milo Miller and Ted Sikora
ART BY
Benito Gallego
COLORS BY
Ted Sikora
LETTERS BY
Ted Sikora
COVER BY
Benito Gallego