HEAT SEEKER: COMBUSTION #1, by Titan Comics on 11/13/24, Gun Honey’s favorite mistress of illusion returns when Racers is hired by a scientist to get his daughter away from kidnappers.
Credits:
- Writer: Charles Ardai
- Artist: Ace Continuado, Juan Castro
- Colorist: Asifur Rahman
- Letterer: David Leach
- Cover Artist: David Nakayama (cover A)
- Publisher: Titan Comics
- Release Date: November 13, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of HEAT SEEKER: COMBUSTION #1:
First Impressions:
Writer Charles Ardai brings Heat Seeker back in a new adventure with thrilling chases, gun fights, twists, turns, and plenty of nudity. Ardai continues to prove he has the best adult-oriented, pulp crime comic around, so buckle up for a pulse-pounding chase through Italy.
Plot Analysis:
Heat Seeker: Combustion #1 begins with Racers running through the streets of Vince with a 12-year-old girl named Rosaline. The girl’s father, Prof. Preiss, is a world-famous geneticist who invented ground-breaking serums that fight death, ease pain and stave off illnesses. In the right hands, his inventions benefit the world. In the wrong hands, Preiss’s inventions create tougher-than-human killers. Now, Preiss hires Racers to get Roasline out of Venice to ensure she can’t be used as leverage against him.
Writer Charles Ardai hits the ground running… literally. Through an interwoven series of panels that mix the past and present, you get all the background intel you need to set the stage while the breakneck action cranks the pace into overdrive.
Racers gets Roasline past their pursuers with the help of quick-change artist Caesar, who is short and thin enough to pass for a 12-year-old girl. On her father’s instructions to Racers, the trio heads to a convent in Montefiacco, Italy, where they hope to get off the grid. Prof. Priess supported the convent for years, so the nuns should have no trouble hiding his daughter away until he can find a permanent refuge.
Ardai lays out a perfect scenario to get Racers and Rosaline out of familiar territory and into an exotic locale to add to the globe-trotting atmosphere of the story. Of course, safety doesn’t last long.
When the trio arrives at the convent, they’re surprised to find a naked woman on horseback posing for a photo shoot for the nearby spa. The Mother Superior who greets them explains the sisters often host a wide array of photographic assignments to help fund the convent. Later, Racers and Oscar discuss the research book Prof. Preiss loaned them about his research, which gives Oscar a clue as to the types of inventions Preiss was working on. Unfortunately, one of those inventions bears a close resemblance to the unusual resistance to the cold the naked model exhibited when they first arrived.
The issue concludes with a nunnery shootout, a game of Cat & Mouse in a clothing-optional spa, and an act of mercy that pays dividends.
Overall, Heat Seeker: Combustion #1 is one of the rare comics on the market that mixes fast-paced action, intriguing spycraft, and adult visuals for an attention-grabbing adventure. Charles Ardai continues to remain at the top of his game.
Artwork and Presentation:
Ace Continuado and Asifur Rahman return to Heat Seeker for art duties, joined by Juan Castro on inks, to put Racers through her paces as she sprints, fights, and disrobes from one spot to the next. Generally, the art is good, although it’s tough not to draw comparisons to Gun Honey artist Ang Hor Kheng. To be fair, the art is good, but not Ang Hor Kheng good.
If it wasn’t clear enough, this issue is rated Mature for copious amounts of full-frontal nudity, male and female. Adjust your buying decision accordingly.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Heat Seeker is a spinoff character from the Gun Honey series. As of this writing, there’s no suggestion that Gun Honey will show up in this story, as she’s probably off saving the world… again.
Final Thoughts:
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HEAT SEEKER: COMBUSTION #1 is a fast-paced, thrilling start to Charles Ardai’s latest adventure for the world’s greatest mistress of misdirection. Ardai’s script sprints out of the gate from page one with a spycraft mission with deadly stakes, and the art team’s output is solid.
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