Excellence #1

Excellence lives up to its name in spades. Read Full Review

Phew, this is one fantastic comic, with everything from the script to the concept to the linework feeling new and urgent and endlessly complex. Rich with universal themes of sacrifice, pride, and family, Excellence #1 is the start of something special. Read Full Review

Excellence shows right away what it came for: excellence. Exciting action, compelling characters and an involving plot, this series is definitely worth picking up as a beautiful new gem available for us comic book readers. Read Full Review

Khary Randolphs art is beautifully detailed. Everything from the characters to the backgrounds looks amazing. The action is engaging and fluid. The character designs are fantastic and perfectly complement the story. Read Full Review

Excellence is a fierce and enthralling version of a magical society where the rules do not benefit everyone, not even those who possess arcane abilities. It is also the story of a powerful young man who has had enough. Read Full Review

Action stories in comics can be a dime a dozen, and so it’s particularly refreshing to see how Thomas and Randolph are able to take time-tested tropes and make them feel exciting, new, and downright necessary. Excellence is working on a lot of levels, whether it’s the pressures of living up to your family’s legacy, or seeing ways that ancient tradition needs to be broken down for the sake of equity and justice. In other words, this is very heady stuff — but if this debut issue is anything to judge by, Thomas and Randolph are going to weave some truly compelling magic with Excellence. Read Full Review

Made entirely by creators of color, Excellence #1promises a complex journey into magic and family. There's much more to say about this series, so check it out and join the conversation. Read Full Review

All in all, this is a book that is well-deserving of the title Excellence. In this first issue, we are introduced to the complicated familial relationship that is sure to blow up around the powder-keg that is Thomass well-thought out world building. It may be a world where people can use magic, but the obstacles they face are all-too real. Read Full Review

A new take on some familiar territory, with a powerful emotional core. Read Full Review

EXCELLENCE #1 introduces an interesting new world, along with engaging storytelling and universal themes. The artwork is stellar, helping bring this vibrant world to life. Highly recommended. Read Full Review

Overall, the foundation of Excellence #1 is well built and kudos for Image & Skybound for once again releasing something that's off the beaten path. I did enjoy it and am curious as to where Brandon Thomas will take the series in its first few story arcs. The only real criticism I had is that the issue was all about brick laying and not so much about hooking us, it just could have used a little more bite. While it wasn't among the most exciting issue #1's I have read, I'm still very much keen to see what this creative team has to give. Read Full Review

However, all this would be nothing without the art team of Randolph, Lopez and Bennett. Randolph and Lopez compliment each other throughout this first issue as Lopez’s colors allow Randolph's pencils to jump off of the page from panel to panel. Randolph’s choice of panel design also allows for a very dynamic feel throughout as there is an ever present feeling of momentum, especially felt during the action scenes. Couple that with some very nice framing choices, and you get a comic that feels alive throughout. Read Full Review

The stage is now set for the creators to take this book in several interesting directions after a well written and great looking first effort. Read Full Review

"Excellence" #1 is a great showcase in combining character and world development, with frenetic, fun art that tells a story all on it's own. Read Full Review

Excellence #1 is the start of a good series; the story itself just needs a little more clarification on this world, on how it works. The whole father/son family story is superbly well done, it just kind of gets confusing when the "magic" starts happening. I love the overall design of this book and the world. It has that nice futuristic yet "ancient" type feel to it. Khary Randolph does a great job of catching the tone of the series and, while doing an excellent job on action scenes, also catches the emotions of the characters as well. Read Full Review

I Review Comics

Jun 08, 2019

I had no idea who Brandon Thomas was before reading Excellence but now he has my full attention. I'm generally not a fan of stories involving magic or sorcery but this is probably one of the coolest takes on the genre I've ever run across. The fact that all of the named characters are Black is also special to me because I don't usually see "My Folks" in fantasy settings.  This story centers around Spencer Raymond Dales and follows him from birth through his development into a young man. He comes from a line of Magicians tasked with protecting humanity. We the bulk of the issue is split between world building, Spencer's relationship with his family and his trials.    The World-building is excellent I dare you to read this issue and now walk away not wanting to know more about the setting and how this system works.  The art from Khary Randolph is on point. The pencils are very expressive and energetic. Khary makes every panel look interesting whether he's conveying an action sequence, intense emotion or even something as mundane as Spencer getting his haircut by his grandmother.  I've seen Khary's work over the years and it's really cool to see that he's continued to evolve in his craft. This is probably the best work I've seen from him and if this is the shape of things to come I can't wait to see what he comes up with over the course of this series. Khary is perfectly complemented by Emilio Lopez' colors who share credit in breathing life into this world. All in time the art direction is solid and you can feel the synergy between the creatives involved here. It definitely comes through throughout the issue. It's' also awesome that we're looking at some truly inspired designs for these characters. Khary gives us a variety of Black Characters from the full lips, kinky hair, and general swag. Most Black characters are conveyed as cool but these characters take it a step forward and feel natural.  I also really appreciate that I'm making a bigger deal about race than the book actually does. It's actually a breath of fresh air to see  Black Characters that have identities and personalities that aren't just extensions of their melanin count. I know it's only the first issue but I feel safe with these characters and their portrayal.  The book is primarily about Spencer's coming of age but it's also about family.  his family dynamic pushes the narrative and it will be interesting to see how these relationships shape the series as time goes on.  There is an excellent quote from Brandon on the letters page that stuck with me most of the day after reading this issue.  "How do you create a real, enduring mature relationship with your children when you were denied the best example?" I had a very strained relationship with my father that ranged from distant, to dismissive to apathetic. When I had my children my goal was to be a Great Father but it's kind of hard to be great when your baseline example for what a good father kinda sucks. The quote hit me to my core because I was never able to reconcile my relationship with my dad. He died and I don't even remember if he got to meet his grandchildren. Typing that last line was rough and one of the reasons I I feel safe with this series and these characters. Excellence doesn't feel like a gimmick. There is some legit passion in the art and storytelling and it comes across on every page.  With all of these positives in place, I really can't find fault with this book. It's a fine single issue and one of the best starts to a series I've read in a very long time.  Brandon and Khary have definitely made a statement and I'm here for it.  more

Spidey Spawn

May 08, 2019

Just WOW! I loved reading this and can't wait to see where this series goes. Well done.

Ken b

May 12, 2019

I picked up this book on a hunch and I'm so glad I did because it is being added to my pull list. I would've given this book a 10 but the book ended with a confusing cliff hanger. Besides that the book is perfect.

Brion Salazar

May 09, 2019

In the afterward of Excellence #1, writer Brandon Thomas admits that this is a very personal story for him. Some of the events in this book are real to his life. Writing from personal experiences gives an author the ability to draw from a deep emotional well and ground fictional stories with real feelings. Sometimes however, that emotional well is too deep, too dark, and too difficult to climb out of. Set in a futuristic New York City where magic is real and ten powerful families control its use through an iconoclastic structure of ritual and trial. We witness Spencer Raymond Dales struggle with the pressure of being born into a powerful magical legacy. From birth Spencer is measured and tested for magical aptitude. The sluggish man ifestation of Spencer's powers causes tension between his mother and father, and results in anger and resentment in the boy. By age 15, all Spencer wants is to prove himself to his father, no matter the cost. Heavy use of foreshadowing suggests Spencer's relationship with his father will turn tragic. Khary Randolph does an excellent job with art duties. His character designs are particularly good, conveying attitude, emotion, and energy. Combining urban cool, sci-fi tech, and traditional fantasy elements, Randolph has created a slick and dynamic world that engages you without overwhelming the senses. He is able to create explosive moments of action as well as scenes of emotional resonance. There are many different concepts presented about the world of Excellence. It is a complex setting filled with many characters, fantastic powers, and long histories. Introducing so many elements in a concise way is a difficult job, one that was overwhelming at times for the authors. I was detached from the characters and confused by the story. It felt as if Thomas had such a close connection to the characters and the world they live in, that he understood it so completely in his own head, he failed to realize the audience doesn't have as clear an understanding. Overall this was an ambitious start to a story that has great potential. Hopefully future issues will do a better job of expanding upon the interesting world that Excellence takes place in and conveys the emotional connection that Thomas has with the story. Otherwise we will be left with little more than a cool idea and some good art. See more reviews at www.brionsalazar.com more

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dannymalt - May 10, 2019

Good review. Especially agree with your 2nd last paragraph.