The story begins with Copycat locked in a room. A voice comes on overhead asking her to remember everything that happened to her. She cooperates with the voice on the condition of being allowed to “see it”, which “it” turns out to be shattered planet earth. Copycat recaps falling to earth in the middle of a battle between groups of “Bronze Age” men. Frostbite, another member of super powered DV8, runs through the battle to grab her up. Copycat is then debriefed by Frostbite who explains what’s happened to the team.
The rest of DV8 arrived to the planet much earlier than Copycat. The team arrives in the middle of nowhere and they begin fighting amongst themselves almost instantly. The team pushes forward and makes camp for the night. Soon each member begin to disappear. They sometimes disappear in the middle of the night, others after talking with the natives. This continues until only Frostbite is left. 
Brian Wood (DEMO, Local and DMZ) writes a wonderful narrative filled with mystery and intrigue. He’s also able to make a story that is very accessible to new readers that may not be familiar with the characters or series itself. Copycats late arrival allows the reader to come into the story and experience it with her. As she discovers what has happened to the team and tries to figure out what earth they are on, so does the reader. Even though this book falls under the superhero category Woods focuses on the story more than the group’s powers. This makes the reader pay attention to what’s important with the story rather than what gimmick the characters will do next.
The book is beautifully colored with drastic tones to reflect the mood of the story. It has a distinct look that matches WildStorm’s production style. Carrie Strachan’s (Authority, Green Lantern) colors are wonderful and add to the depth of the book which highlights Rebekah Isaacs (DMZ, Ms. Marvel) penciling. Rebekah draws two very different worlds within the book. The ship in which Copycat is being questioned is sterile and futuristic, while the planet the team is sent to is lush with wilderness and void of civilization. Her style is beautiful and works with the story and narrative the Wood is telling.
What says the most about this book is that without DV8 it would still work as a story. A new group of heroes could have been introduced and it would have succeeded on its own merits. Adding DV8 adds interest and depth to the team and story. This book stands out in the way that The Authority or Planetary used to and shows how good and how cool the WildStorm Universe can be. Whether you’re a fan of DV8 or not this book is a great read from beginning to end. The typical “superhero” reader may find something different and new here that’s not in their regular monthly beat’em up books.
Story – 9.8
Art – 9.2
Color – 10.0
Overall – 9.7
DV8 stands for Deviants thought I’d save you a trip to Google. Dustin Twitters and you can ask him questions that he may or may not have to Google himself at FormSpring.
