REVIEW: ‘Good Luck,’ Issue #1

Good Luck #1 is the start of a new fantasy series from BOOM! Studios by Matthew Erman with art and colors by Stefano Simeone and letters by Mike Fiorentino. The world changed forever when the avatars of Good Luck and Bad Luck met, turning Luck into a form of matter as quantifiable as gravity, mass, or light. Everybody is saturated with luck, except for the Unfortunates, kids born with virtually no Luck whatsoever and tasked with training to one day enter the Kismet Zone and save the people trapped there.

The first issue of a new comic needs to do one of two things: it needs to either provide a riveting concept or captivating characters. Good Luck #1 certainly falls more in the former category but doesn’t firmly plant itself into either. Artie, the point of view character, is affable and has ample potential to grow into a lovable character, but besides the new kid, Joey being sweet and innocent, there isn’t much else going on in the characterization department. And for the plot, it’s certainly intriguing, but I’m left unclear what this series is ultimately about. The anthropomorphization of Good Luck and Bad Luck as deities is novel, though, and a group of teens tasked with saving the world? I’m all for exploring it.

The art doesn’t quite stand out either. There are a few strong panels with great backgrounds, but otherwise, the issue just feels like it’s moving too fast to catch a good look at the characters’ designs or the Kismet Zone itself. It’s all enough to give me the vibe of the comic: it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but there’s a clear danger in the world that shouldn’t be trifled with. I only wish I had a better sense of the characters. Artie has some moments that show his relaxed nature and poor luck, and I get the sense Joey is somewhat shy just from looking at him, but the pace of the action kept me from seeing much of the rest of their personalities, or those of anybody else.

One shining design, though, is Bad Luck. Good Luck is mortal human-sized, but Bad Luck is a giant red lady in the sky. It’s pretty cool, to say the least, and I hope that future issues continue to give off the same sense of scale and power she has in her brief appearances here. Good Luck gives me the sense that good luck isn’t all it’s chalked up to be, given that he’s kind of portrayed as a dude-bro. And I think that could end up being a neat concept should my reading of him pan out. The font for the lettering is a giveaway that the comic isn’t all-too-serious, and the fact that every SFX is drawn in a different style helps make them feel like true visual representations of their sounds rather than just big splashy action pieces.

Good Luck #1 is an interesting introduction to a potentially very cool idea. It’s just lacking in definition, both narratively and visually, especially when it comes to its characters. But the concept itself leaves ample room for growth all around, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.

Good Luck #1 is available wherever comics are sold.