Writer: Tini Howard

Artist: Devaki Neogi

Publisher: Black Mask Studios

The Sixties, a time of music, a time of youth, a time of new philosophy and a new age, a time of conflict, a time of Cold War. The Skeptics places us right in the midst of that Cold War as we turn our attentions away from open conflicts, and towards the subtle conflicts of psychically gifted superhumans. The Russians have their team, it’s time for the USA to get theirs to counter them.

There is a sense of urgency here. It’s palpable in the very air, as the US tries to prepare some defense from the Russian psychic squad. This is why the government has summoned Maxwell and Mary, two gifted subjects, as they put them through the testing needed to see if they are the answer that the government has been seeking.

Tini Howard does a great job writing a story that has a quick pace, and an eye for subtle detail that brings back the very feel of the 1960s spy thrillers. The story is as much a social critique as it is an adventure. Our pair of youths are as clever as they are critical, and the story is better for it.

The artwork by Devaki Neogi, likewise, helps us enter this realm, with the ubiquitous smoking, the clothes, the hair, the propaganda, and the actual paper files many today would otherwise not be able to relate to. The overall feel of the artwork is that from a comic from the sixties, mimicking the very method of comic art from that time. It is a refreshing and reminiscent, visual that is easy on the eye while still moving the story along at a fine pace.

We are never outside the situation of time and place in this book, neither the dialog nor the art seems to be anachronistic. The authors take us by the hand and lead us into the world of Sixties American Cold War paranoia and eagerness to embrace anything, no matter how absurd, that can get one up on the Russians. This is a fun read, and I look forward to seeing the next issue!

Writing: 8/10

Artwork: 7.5/10

Overall: 8/10