The Black Diamond - From Ait Planetlar

The Black Diamond
Issue One
Shake Hands With Danger

Created and Written by
Larry Young

Art by
Jon Proctor

From AIT-PLANETLAR
Released Date
06-13-07

This is as Indie as it gets. I had never heard or seen anything from this company before randomly picking up this book. I'll tell you one thing this company is it's best self promoter. Black Diamond is about a highway that has no rules, anything goes, no speed limit, no laws. It was designed to keep the dredge of society away from everyone else. The problem with keeping everyone on the road that's dangerous is that occasionally they fly off the side harming the people that are meant to be safe. Unfortunately to get the whole story you'll have to read the Zero Issue titled 'On Ramp' but they do a great job of printing a review of that issue in the first issue. Cleaver huh? It's a great review from ComicTreadmill.com.
They too have a review of the first issue which is unfortunate for me since they probably have a bigger reader base, but they come off a little biased loving the Author and Company just a little too much. So on with my review!

I would give this book an 9.5, it wasn't perfect but it was really freaking good. It had a little too much 'Car Jargon' to the point that I didn't know if the car had really existed outside the world of comics, but I liked the fact that I stopped paying attention around the time the Main Character did too. Basically this Orthodontist's wife gets kidnapped because her Father designed the Black Diamond. The Army is taking control of the road again using excessive force to get the job done. The part that doesn't really make since is that the Wife's brother is a cop and he gives the car to the Husband and sends him to get her back... Yes it's a more interesting story for the boring guy to go see what he's made of, but its kinda hard to swallow at the same time. The Art is amazing and the Team chooses interesting angles and panel designs that really fit and make the book stand out. Honestly the quality of this book, was not independent. It far surpassed the norm of Indie comics, if it had been printed on better paper (which may have been intentional as a throw back to early comics) I wouldn't be able to tell it apart from Marvel Icon's Criminal in comparison to quality. It will be hard to find this book and Online is probably your best option unless you have a local shop that takes a gamble on Indie's. I was able to find both Issue 0 and 1 at MidtownComics for a decent price plus shipping making it a little harder to swallow but trust me this is a book you won't want to miss. This is one of those books people will be talking about how good it is a few years when they released the seventh printing of the Trade Paper Back. I'm glad I found this book before it became the next 30 Days of Night, where the first issue sells for 80 to 120 bucks due to it's popularity and low print numbers. Check this book out, and see the potential that not only this book has but more than likely the company too.