I heard not a word about Special Forces #1 until I saw it at my comic shop yesterday. It was a surprise to see a new number one issue by Kyle Baker. It was also a warning sign. I remember what he did to me with Nat Turner - he put out two great issues in a row, and then the book dropped off and returned in a different shape as two combined issues.
Special Forces feels different though. More than ever, Kyle Baker is taking notice of his lettering. He does a particularly excellent job with the sound effects, dialog, and captions in this issue. In fact, when I go to letter my own comic in the next few months, I’m going to use Special Forces #1 as a blueprint.
This story has a lot of heart. I don’t like war stories at all, normally. But this spoke to me. It mattered how each individual soldier got there and why they went. By the time I read the last two pages, I had tears welling in my eyes. I don’t know why… it wasn’t a sad moment. It wasn’t especially victorious either. It was just the tragically beautiful humanity of the characters that moved me.
Kyle Baker’s visual style is amazing. He has this hyper-watercolor style that in You are Here. It is surreal and yet a little Noir, but Baker does B/W equally well - just look at Why I hate Saturn.
I HIGHLY recommend picking up a Kyle Baker book, (not The Cowboy Wally Show, but any other book) if you have never experienced his work. -nrs