ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘The Dead Lucky,’ Issue #1

The Dead Lucky #1 is written by Melissa Flores, illustrated by French Carlomagno, colored by Mattia Iacono, and lettered by Becca Carey. It’s published by Image Comics. Bibiana “Bibi” Lopez-Yang has returned to her hometown of Chinatown, San Francisco, after surviving a traumatic event that’s left her with the power to generate electricity. However, her return is marred by the tech consortium Morrow attempting to relocate San Francisco’s residents, including her parents, and the renegades known as the Salvation Gang. Bibi takes to the streets in her giant Ghost mech to protect San Francisco’s citizens while wrestling with PTSD and survivor’s guilt.

The Dead Lucky is the latest entry into Image Comics’ Massive-Verse. It was even teased during the ending of Supermassive, where Bibi made her first appearance. And like its fellow titles, it brings a new spin to a well-worn genre. Where Radiant Black is a superhero story for the millennial generation, and Rogue Sun features its teenage protagonist grappling with supernatural threats, The Dead Lucky is hard sci-fi all the way through.

When the story starts, Bibi isn’t looking to be a hero – she wants to find her place in the world. “I’m not a soldier anymore. And I was never a hero,” she says in one of many sequences that feature her talking to herself (as well as the reader). “I’m just…here.” I can relate to this: it took a while before I found my “purpose” in writing, and it’s a nice change of pace for a protagonist not to have everything figured out.

What really makes this series so relatable is Flores’ writing. Flores, like other Massive-Verse creators, got her start while working on Power Rangers as the Director of Power Rangers Development and Production for Saban Brands/Hasbro. And while she’s written backup stories for Radiant Black – in particular, a story set in the world of The Unleashed RPG she helped create – this is her first full comic. And it’s an engaging, well-crafted tale that slowly pulls the reader into Bibi’s world while also seeding a mystery about how she gained her powers.

The most affecting moments come at the beginning of the issue when Bibi goes to therapy. Seeing her talk about her problems is not only extremely relatable, but it helps endear her to the readers. The best heroes often face conflict that isn’t villain related, and it looks like the ghosts of Bibi’s past will play a prominent role in her hero’s journey.

The art team is just as much of a standout. Carlomagno, who illustrated the Radiant Black issue that covered the origin story of Radiant Pink, favors close-up of characters’ faces that show their emotions, especially where Bibi is concerned. This approach helps sell a wealth of emotion, most notably regret. And the sci-fi elements of the book are just as engaging; when Ghost first appears, it’s a towering behemoth that leaves cracked concrete and damaged cars in its wake.

Bibi wears a pilot suit that incorporates a skeletal design that resembles a calavera, courtesy of a killer design from Federico Sabbatini. Iacono’s colors give life to all the environments: Chinatown looks just as colorful as it does in real life, and there’s a yellow glow from the Californian sun. Pink and violet are the most prominent colors, though: they show up in Bibi’s suit, as well as Ghost’s armor and A.I. system – See designs Ghost’s word balloons with an effect that makes it sound like an actual machine.

The Dead Lucky #1 expands the Massive-Verse with a science-fiction story that balances raw human emotion and cutting-edge technology. Whether you’ve checked out the Massive-Verse’s other books or this is your first exposure to it, it’s well worth a read. Flores, Carlomagno, Iacono, and See have put together something truly special.

The Dead Lucky #1 will be available wherever comics are sold on August 3, 2022.