Midlife # 1 (2023)
Writer: Brian Buccellato
Artist: Stefano Simeone
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Rating: 
I’ll look at “Midlife # 1” from Image Comics this week. The creation of Brian Buccellato and Stefano Simeone puts the focus on Ruben Kwan, a 30-year-old firefighter who’s been living in the shadow of his father who died on the job as a hero. Still, lately, Ruben has found himself in a life that’s full of ups and downs. His Ex-Wife recently got arrested, and his college-bound son only talks to him about what a lousy parent he is then he finds out that his new wife is pregnant but it isn’t until he performs an act of courage that he discovers that he’s actually fireproof!
Buccellato offers a great perspective to the series (He started a new family at the age of 50); it’s the characterization of Ruben that is revealed quite well due to Buccellato giving him some deep-rooted optimism that none only carries the story into familiar territory that most of us go through when it comes to dealing with a mid-life crisis but we also find ourselves wanting to see Ruben win, especially when you get to the last page of this issue (**NO SPOILERS**); This series already made its mark by not being the typical superhero story but instead, it’s a charming tale of an everyman trying to deal with all the mess that life throws his way. Both the writing and the artwork come together to tell this naturalistic description of real life that anyone can relate to while showing us that no matter how old we are, we can always strive to be the best version of ourselves. Thanks to Ruben Kwan for that.
Well, that’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around and I will see you all next time.
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