Government-run super teams aren’t a new concept, but the idea behind Project New Wave from indie publisher Truthful Comics – is an intriguing one: what if the superpowered teams employed by the government don’t agree with the missions they’ve been ordered to carry out?

When clandestine team New Wave are dispatched to retrieve a mysterious artifact, a conflict arises when they’re asked to stand down and let another agent take over. Meanwhile, a visitor from space arrives on Earth looking for the teen heroes of New Wave – and his motives may not be as insidious as they first appear…

It’s an action packed first issue and, though the art – by writer/artist Manuel A. Carmona – is a little inconsistent, there’s a real attempt to keep the panel layouts unique and fresh. There’s a lot of influences on display, including Manga and more ‘traditional’ US comic styles. One of the potential antagonists has a very Battle of the Planets-esque design, as an example.

I wasn’t enamoured with the design of the costumes for the female members of the team. Where the male heroes get bulky and practical-looking armour, the women get skimpy, barely-there costumes that expose most of their chest and stomach, along with their thighs. It’s an odd choice, design-wise, making no sense from a combat standpoint and recalling infamously skimpy superhero costumes that female characters would often wear in the 80s and 90s. It’s a shame their design couldn’t have been kept consistent with those worn by the male members of the team.

There’s enough intriguing questions and entertaining action to make me want to continue reading beyond issue one, however – and with issue two now available, I’ll be sure to see how the story continues soon enough. One thing’s for sure, I can’t predict the way events will play out – which is most definitely very refreshing for a superhero comic.