R E V I E W S

THRESHOLD: NICO-TEEN

Reviewed On: April 7, 1998
Reviewed By: Steve Conley

In David Yurkovich's fun self-published series, each city has contracted a super-team to act as the city's official protectors. Threshold follows the hodge-podge, independent team (named Threshold) hired to protect Philadelphia as they run into problem after problem--whether it be the team's lack of leadership, their conflict with the mainstream hero syndicate, or that one of the team's members joined by successfully faking his super-powers.

On top of the team's many internal problems, Threshold is being upstaged by Philadelphia's latest costumed crimefighter, Nico-Teen. This new hero, a shill for the Smoke-Kings tobacco company, gets his powers from smoking cigarettes. The more he smokes the more powerful he gets. At one point in the story a plummeting jumbo jet miraculously regains altitude when the constantly-coughing teen carries the aircraft to safety - his mouth full of lit cigarettes.

This book is a lot of fun and a sharp satire of politics, big business, superheroes and mainstream comics.

The art seems to echo the tone of Threshold's protagonists--not jumping on the mainstream bandwagon but staking out its own territory. Characters and objects are carved out of bold swashes of tone and accented with simple linework. Some may find the art-style foreign, but once caught-up in story, the reader acclimates quickly and soon becomes thoroughly involved.

The 'camera' angles of the panels are consistently well-chosen and ideally-paced. The dimensions of Yurkovich's eight-panel grid throughout gives Threshold the feel of a storyboard. A terrific job.

It ranks among the most enjoyable comics being done.