The most dangerous corners of the universe live inside the nightmares of super-powered people.

Magnus Atitarn, heir to the Atitarn Satellite Corp., tried to save the world with his experimental one-man spaceship — and ended up a broken man. Now a celebrity joke suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Magnus has the power to travel inside the mind of super-powered people, where he discovers nightmares which threaten the entire human race.

Lion Forge Comics‘ Catalyst Prime universe gets a new corner of the universe and new hero in Magnus Atitarn, a not so likeable character who thinks he can save the world and just might get a chance. Catalyst Prime: Astonisher presents a character that at first might feel familiar but as the issue progresses he winds up being so much more. A story not just about Magnus, the series explores the Atitarn family and their dynamic in an intriguing way that presents a series that lacks any character I want to cheer for. This is family drama where there’s backstabbing, lots of friction, and a deep distrust. Grab the popcorn for that.

But, again, what actually has me the most intrigued is the fact everyone are dicks. These are characters I want to punch and where and how writer Alex De Campi takes us will be the driver. The groundwork is an interesting one with some gutsy choices and De Campi deserves praise in all of that. This is a comic that really stands out from the pack due to the characters, setting, and powers presented.

Those powers are presented in some solid art by Pop Mhan who’s helped by Jessica Kholinne on colors. Mhan is given the task of taking us on a whirlwind joruney of Magnus’ in many ways with varied locations, situations, and dress and Kholinne ties it all together with coloring that jumps off of the page. It’s really good art with a lot of detail that presents the situations and settings well and gives each character some personality. What’s really interesting is Mhan and Kholinne’s depiction of the “tech” and psychic world where Magnus is presented as a knight. There’s a cool visual contrast that shifts the story in a lot of ways and adds an aspect that I hope is explored more in future issues.

The comic is an intriguing one where I found myself cheering against almost every character but at the same time, I want to read more. For a comic to do that is impressive.

Story: Alex De Campi Art: Pop Mhan
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Lion Forge Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review