written by Stan Lee and Paul Cornelll
illustrated by Javier Pina and Sergio Arino

When Stan Lee announced he was taking his talents to Boom! Studios and creating a new comics universe, the news made waves. And justifiably so: Stan “The Man” Lee still has all his creative chops and an eye for talent that captures what’s fun about superhero comics and relevant and relatable in the modern world.

Soldier Zero is a nice example. Much of the legendary Marvel heroes Stan Lee is so famous for had very real problems. Their personal lives were every bit as angst-driven as their costumes one were driven by an urge for justice. That motif is very much present in Soldier Zero, an exciting and unpredictable new series written by Paul Cornell and drawn by Javier Pina.
 
Stewart Trautmann is a former soldier who, after rolling over a disguised mine in Afghanistan, has been rendered paraplegic. Now back home and living with his brother, Stewart is attempting to lead as normal a life as possible…which begins with trying to convince the owner of the corner market to make his store handicap-accessible.
 
Stewart’s been trying to work up the courage to ask pretty blonde Lily out, and it turns out she’s been feeling the same. On their first date, however, while watching a meteor shower, something collides with the rooftop they’re on and causes substantial damage. That something is an alien lifeforce who needs to bond with another living thing in order to work—and Stewart is that someone. Now able to walk, and gifted with some special powers as a result, Stewart is merged with the alien, who may or may not be completely trustworthy. One thing that’s sure is that the alien is on the run from some other worse aliens, and they mean business—and they don’t care who they have to destroy in the process.
 
There’s some frank (but not at all explicity) talk between Stewart and Lily about whether or not he can perform sexually, which is about the most adult aspect of the series. It’s handled delicately, and the rest of the series focuses on the action surrounding the oncoming invasion, and seems well suited for teens. In fact, the mature way of dealing with Stewart’s condition is very well done, and Stewart’s attitude is nicely contrasted with that of a supporting cast member who is also in a wheelchair.
 
This first volume establishes the story’s setup and perhaps does so a little slowly. Soldier Zero doesn’t run at the rapid-fire pace of many other superhero books, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Now that premise is set, I’m looking forward to where Soldier Zero goes. There are so few superhero books around that don’t come with decades of and companywide crossover madness thrown in. This series seems to be a welcome return to fun comic books. I’m excited to see where it goes from here.

-- John Hogan

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