I have a confession to make: I really enjoy reading dramas about teenagers. It’s really strange and I didn’t realize until it was pointed out to me, but several of my favorite comic runs (Runaways, Avengers Academy, New X-Men Academy) are teen drama. Which is weird, because I dislike actual teenagers. But it’s because of this that New York Park #1 caught my eye, and I’m glad it did, cause it was rather fun.
The Breakfast Club meets The Runaways is the easiest way to sum up the first issue of New York Park. It has the traditional teen drama necessities like prom, social circles and hipsters, but also add things like ghosts, time travel, and tentacled aliens to the mix. Our four protagonists fulfill classic roles including The Jock, The Brain, The Cheerleader and The Nerd, which makes then instantly relateable. Then something happens that wouldn’t be out of place in The Magic School Bus. Hilarity, insanity and possibly causality ensue. It is a familiar but very fun issue. Also there are hints to a very interesting larger world that I hope gets explored.
The problem that this issue has is that it tries to do too much. First issues can be hard, it’s the creative team’s first impression to snag a repeat reader. Here, writer/artist Andrew Scaife introduces us to the setting, lets us meet our four main characters, takes them for a wild ride and tries to have them home in time for dinner. All this in a mere 24 pages. Because of this, we don’t really get that deep into characterization or allow them to really take in the events that are transpiring. There simply isn’t time. It doesn’t stop the issue from being fun, but it would help in future issues to let us really get to know our protagonists.
New York Park #1 is available this Wednesday (11/13/13) on Comixology for $1.99. If you enjoy teen dramas with a fair bit of weird thrown in, give this a look. You may like what you find.
