Seven Secrets Vol. 1
- WRITER
- Tom Taylor
- Artist
- Daniele Di Nicuolo
- Letterer
- Ed Dukeshire
- Cover Artist
- Daniele Di Nicuolo, Fabiana Moscalo
- Publisher
- BOOM! Studios
- Price
- 14.99
- Release Date
- 2021-04-07
- Colorist
- Walter Baiamonte
Seven Secrets, the shonen manga-influenced series created by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo, earned widespread critical acclaim when it started last year at BOOM! Studios, and the first collection of the series makes it easy to see why. Writer Tom Taylor’s story is an imaginative and exciting globe-hopping adventure full of endearing characters and a host of mysteries to keep readers invested with action-heavy premise is brought to life with bombast by Di Nicuolo.
Volume 1 introduces the ancient Order of the Seven Secrets, a mysterious multinational organization tasked with protecting inconspicuous black briefcases that hold potentially disastrous mysteries. The Order tasks two individuals, a Holder and a Keeper, with the duty of protecting each of the powerful Secrets. When Keeper Sigurd and Holder Eva bear a child named Caspar, they must give him up out of fear that their love for a child might interfere with their duty. Caspar is separated from his parents, raised within The Order and trained to one day protect the Secrets himself. Caspar is thrust into duty when a mysterious new enemy challenges The Order like never before. Caspar must decide if he will follow the old ways, which seem to lead only to death and suffering, or forge his own path.
Taylor, who cultivated a cult-following thanks to his strong character work in DC Universe series like Injustice and DCeased, brings that same focus on character here. There is a lot of exposition in the first half of the book, but Taylor balances the set-up with engaging dialogue and endearing moments early on that make the tragedies to come feel earned and emotional. A series contingent on seven items with mysterious power could easily become a by-the-numbers MacGuffin quest, but Taylor avoids easy traps. He peppers in just enough teases and hints about the history of the Order and the Secrets themselves that the stakes feel weighty and the mystery genuine. By the end of this volume, there are no answers but plenty of new questions have been teased.
Series artist Daniel Di Nicuolo elevates the proceedings with energetic art that brings a fresh mix of manga influence and traditional western superhero action sensibilities. Di Nicuolo’s art grounds the fantastic kung-fu adventures with character designs that draw on the various cultures of the international organization and lovingly rendered global landmarks and architecture. Like Taylor’s writing, Di Nicuolo’s art is character-first, with designs illustrating something about the individuals and their personal histories.
Di Nicuolo balances the character focus and grand scope with excellent pacing and page layouts. When called for his panels eschew background details and focus on the characters and their emotions. As the action ramps up the artist’s subtle motion lines make the pages come to life and panels break out of traditional grid structure, cutting diagonally across the page. Motion is always smooth with one panel leading effortlessly into the next.
The series’ primary color artist Walter Baiamonte sets the tone with a palette of primarily cool blues and light colors that make the Order feel like a safe place despite their mysterious ways. The airy feeling and bright sunshine helps to highlight Caspar’s youthful optimism that permeates the narration. When things turn violent Baiamonte veers into blood red to elevate the tension. The letters by Ed Dukeshire are similarly essential in setting tone. The thin line of the word balloons and angular strokes of the letters themselves are slick with a keen design sense that echoes Caspar’s energy. Working in tandem with Di Nicuolo’s art, pages are never confusing, which can sometimes be an issue among creator-owned books.
The first volume of Seven Secrets is an exciting and fresh adventure series, and these first six issues set up an intriguing high concept led by an engaging, multicultural cast. Tom Taylor’s story is elevated by the energetic artwork by Daniele Di Nicuolo and Walter Baiamonte, which balances globe-trotting action with expressive and distinct characters. With the world-building out of the way in this volume, more secrets stand ready to be revealed and mysteries resolved in the next chapter of the story.