Prime-8s #1

by Michael Moreci, Steve Seeley and Kyle Latino

The Earth’s greatest protectors are not from this planet. Having come to help defend mankind, they are now trying to find ways to settle in, leaving the fighting in the past. Prime-8s is the new digital series from Hoax Hunters creators Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley with Kyle Latino on art. The book looks and feels like a classic superhero title, and right away it is apparent that the creative team have a great handle on the tone of the book. There is a lot of room for innovation as well as commentary at the start of Prime-8s.

Readers are introduced to the world by way of a montage of panels detailing the arrival of this team. Having later disbanded, the Prime-8s have not all left the life behind. The group is literally made up of eight primates who talk and act like human beings. Their place of origin is not discussed, nor is much information given to the villains behind the apocalyptic event that led to the disbanding. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that a few of the members have continued protecting citizens in secret, adopting a vigilante-like approach to saving the day. Moreci and Seeley create a tone in the first issue that feels almost pulpy. Possibly due to how Latino creates the visual world of Prime-8s, there is a real consistent tone choice to the series, with every bit of it feeling as though it was lifted from a publication of the 1960s.

From the first action bits in the storyline’s present day, through the pieces moving around as the issue continues, Moreci and Seeley pack in a ton of energy. Overall, readers will find themselves very quickly familiar with and engaged by this new world. Do those of the original team that still cling onto the past have a real cause for their persistence about an old threat returning or are they just refusing to move on? There is a ton of room in the series to tell original stories while also touching on and reflecting on the superhero or even mankind. That is what makes Prime-8s so instantly entertaining. Moreci and Seeley are able to both tell the story on the surface, while also layering in other elements. Done effectively, readers are not bogged down by the more subtle elements and instead can enjoy the momentum of the issue.

It will be interesting to learn more about the series and the characters as the story progresses. Moreci and Seeley definitely have made some interesting choices right from the start. Currently it is not quite clear why the team is made to be primates. While anthropomorphizing is not new, it usually serves a purpose. Additionally, the era that the book evokes through its art and plot structure also feels incredibly deliberate. All of that is to say that Prime-8s #1 has a lot to offer and packs in a good bit of intrigue both for the direct plot as well as the pieces lying just beneath the surface.