To me getting an independently published comic to review is like opening your stocking on Christmas morning. Sure they’re not the main event but they are always a legitimate surprise. DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and even Image are sort of like the presents under the tree, you have expectations of what you want to see when you open them up, sometimes it’s exactly what you want, sometimes you’re expectations are wildly exceeded, and sometimes Santa shits the bed (Or in this case Rick Remender if you’ve been reading Doctor Voodoo you know what I mean) and fails to deliver what you really wanted. Regardless of what you get, you had expectations. With indy comics though, you just never know what to expect.

In the case of Indego Blue though the guys at Saint James Comics deliver in spades. Indego Blue is my absolute favorite type of comic, at first glance it gives you the impression you’re jumping into your standard fare light action comic for kids or early teens. If that’s not your cup of tea though don’t dismiss Indego Blue because the guys from Saint James are offering up so much more than that.

Once you get into Indego Blue you realize that there’s a whole lot more going on than you ever originally imagined. In contrast with the bold cartoonish art from Howard Russell Indego Blue throws you into a bleak future where the government controls everything and genetic “splicing” has created a new class of citizen. Genetic mutts with animal DNA fused to their indigenous human double helix’s have become the scourge of society; well at least that’s the story if you listen to the propaganda thrown out by the state.

What fun would that be though? Indego Blue is the story of the half breed team that has sworn to keep the genetically downtrodden safe from the government who hates them for being different. If you like your science fiction in the non-traditional flavor this comic is for you. It’s sort of like Robin Hood meets Blade Runner in a Saturday morning cartoon; it might not be a combination you’ve tried before but it works.The art is solid even though it’s not typical of the genre, the world that Robert James Russell and Jesse Young have created is deep, intriguing, and will leave you wanting more.

Despite all the good things this title has going for it though it’s pretty clear that the books dialog is it’s weakest point, the comic’s script isn’t nearly as well done as it’s story. The conversation seems forced and unnatural in places keeping the reader from being able to fully delve into Indego Blue’s world, but this shouldn’t be a game breaker, it’s so difficult to write dialog for a character the readers don’t know in a 24 page comic and I fully expect that as the characters in Indego Blue begin to develop personalities this problem will fix itself.

So next time you go grab comics be sure to throw Indego Blue on your buy pile. It’s a couple of classic premises that are proven winners with a visual style that makes it feel fresh and new. The world of Indego Blue has so much potential I can hardly wait to see what it’s creators deliver in the issues to come.

4/5 Stars for Indego Blue