There’s a new Korean hero named…City Boy! Or at least, that’s the best translation of what the cities call him. City Boy, a.k.a. Cameron Kim, is just trying to make a living by using his powers of being able to speak to cities to find lost and hidden goods to pawn, and it’s only just enough to get by. City Boy #1 takes a rather odd power and delivers a debut that makes it intriguing with a lot of potential.

New heroes are always interesting to me, especially in an established world. It feels like you either get characters who are shoehorned into the existing world or ones that feel rather cut off, starting off relatively on their own. Written by Grek Pak, City Boy #1 feels a bit like the latter.

City Boy #1 is an interesting debut. It’s not overall exciting but by the end we get a good sense of who this character is. While the powers feel rather nebulous and not explained too well, Cameron’s origin is explained and fleshed out in multiple ways. We get to know him before his powers, how he got them, and where things stand now. It all comes together for a start that’s intriguing with a lot of potential but not all that exciting.

The art by Minkyu Jung is interesting. With color by Sonny Gho and lettering by Wes Abott, the issue weaves together three points in Cameron’s life. We get to see his early years, when he gets his powers, and the present. It’s done in a way that the panels steer in and out of those time period without issues, color often creating the clue as to when things take place. Visually, it works really well and works to establish the character in multiple ways while also setting up what’s to come.

City Boy #1 isn’t a bad debut but it also doesn’t quite completely excite. It has a tone that feels like it straddles audiences and in that way it feels like it holds back a little. But, mostly this feels like the opening chapter of a longer story, exactly what it is. For me, it falls on the line between a “buy” and “read” but knowing Pak’s record in quality, I lean towards the former hoping that this is just a piece of a much more entertaining puzzle.

Story: Greg Pak Art: Minkyu Jung
Color: Sonny Gho Letterer: Wes Abbott
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.1 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

---

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle