It’s a ballsy thing to do, kicking off your new superhero universe with a first issue that barely features any costumed superheroes. That’s one of the things I admired about Ignited #1.
Last October French comics publisher Humanoids, which has brought comics like Metabarons, Technopriests and The Incal, among many others, to America over the past 20 years announced their intention to launch a shared universe that would kick off with three monthly titles — Ignited being the flagship. They announced an impressive amount of talent behind this new universe, including Waid and Osajyefo, as well as John Cassaday, Yanick Paquette and Carla Speed McNeil.
The first issue of Ignited comes out tomorrow, and it’s got an all-too-real set-up, especially right now, after what just happened in Virginia Beach. Phoenix Academy High experienced a school shooting — one that, according to the press release, ” ignited” some of the students, giving them “supernatural abilities they barely understand.”
“Allow us the one moment of fantasy in all the H1 books where seemingly random people are granted superhuman powers and abilities in times of extreme global stress, and we’ll deliver the very natural, very real consequences those people would face,” Waid told CBR. “These books are designed first and foremost to entertain, but they’re not apolitical. The characters are driven to make the world a better place, whatever that may mean to them. Their first challenge, however–especially with the kids in Ignited — is how exactly to go about it. There aren’t supervillains to punch.”
Joining the two writers on the book are artist Phil Briones, colorist Andrew Crossley and letterer Dave Lanphear. John Cassaday and Yanick Paquette provide the covers.
Courtesy of the publisher, check out this preview of the first issue:
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