Unstoppable. Untraceable. Unkillable. This is how he changes the world…
Who is the Visitor? Why are the leaders of the world terrified of him? And will they live long enough to find out? It all kicks off in The Visitor #1.

It’s ironic in some ways, but I’ve just started trying to track down the original Visitor series published in the late 90’s, long before Valiant relaunched its universe in 2012. That Visitor, who obviously shares a name with this one and little else (that we’ve been told, anyway) was an alien from the far reaches of space who was trying to help Make Things Better on Earth. Although his identity was revealed eventually, on the off chance that the same beat will be revisited here. I think it’s unlikely, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen. If you really want to know, you’re reading this on a device with Google…

The Visitor #1 barely features the title character, showing him primarily in shadows or a hooded trench coat, instead it focuses on a group of scientists with dubious motivations as they try to deploy and/or test a new technology that may or may not improve the lives of the general populace.

Paul Levitz deliberately leaves the Visitor a mystery in his own book, giving him precious little screen time as the story unfolds. It’s an interesting choice to focus less on the title character and more on those whose lives he’s disrupting, but it certainly sets the stage for the moment that we’re able to glean some more information about the character – who he is and what his motivations are – that will hopefully start coming out next issue.

If nothing else, it’s already got me hooked.

Speaking of hooks, MJ Kim‘s artwork is on point in this comic. New York is always a fun city for comics, and the skyscrapers in the background are lovingly rendered. Kim’s panel layout suits this story wonderfully, and combined with the coloring work of Diego Rodriguez, well then you’ve got a brilliant looking book with some fantastic story pacing.

You don’t need to be super familiar with the original Visitor (actually, you don’t even need to know there was an original Visitor), or even the start of what promises to be a thrilling ride.

Story: Paul Levitz Art: MJ Kim
Color: Diego Rodriguez Letterer: Simon Bowland
Story: 8.9 Art: 9.1 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review