OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFO: Terry Moore is an American cartoonist, known for the series Strangers in Paradise, Rachel Rising, and the founding of Homage Comics.
Echo rocks, guys. Julie Martin was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wanted to take some photos but got an atomic bra instead.
Okay, it's a little more complicated than that.
Julie witnessed an explosion of a beta suit and its pilot. The suit's alloy turned into pellets that rained down on Julie. But instead of hurting her, the pellets stuck to her and later bonded to a portion of her body. No matter how hard she tried, the metallic substance wouldn't go away. Instead, it covered her shoulders and chest.
More importantly, the metallic plate bonded not only to her body but also to her nervous system, tapping into her emotional states to release extraordinary powers (healing ability, unleashing nuclear energy, etc.). But that's not all; The previous owner of the suit, Annie Trotter, died in the explosion. But her personality and memories have somehow been preserved in the metal and sometimes echoes in Julie's head.
Need I add that the explosion wasn't accidental? The military experiment went wrong, and certain parties would do anything to recover the alloy. They call a troubleshooter to fix the problem. And discover that Julie wasn't the only person in the desert that day. Someone else, someone much angrier and resentful than Julie, has part of the battle suit attached to them and wants more of it. The only way to get it is to kill Julie.
If it sounds like a generic superhero origin story, I assure you it isn't. Echo blends several genres (espionage, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, biblical influences/inspirations). It's fast-paced and filled with twists but as most Terry Moore works it's mostly about characters involved in the story. Everyone here has a well-rounded personality and a strong backstory. Echo features several very determined people, top scientists and others who want to be the best in their field, and the result of putting career above all else isn't ignored.
As Always, Moore's artwork is impressive, detailed, clearly rendered, perfect for illustrating quieter moments. I won't lie, I would love to see his work colored, but black-and-white illustrations fit the story (and Moore's style). Moore treats readers to some great shots of the desert, cinematic and explosive action scenes, plus terrifying (almost splatterpunk) moments of violence.
While Echo isn't the fastest graphic novel around, it's visually impressive and thematically fascinating. Moore proves once again he's among the best graphic novel creators.
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