Gen¹³: Starting Over

Gen¹³ ##1-7

by Brandon Choi, J. Scott Campbell, Jim Lee

Under the leadership of their mentor Lynch, the super- powered teenagers of Gen live a life of fighting evil, saving the world, and partying hard. Employing strong characterization and wacky humor, this trade paperback presents the offbeat adventures of Fairchild, Burnout, Freefall, Grunge, and Rainmaker as they deal with typical teenage problems while combating violent villains and would be world conquerors. Rebellious and headstrong, this atypical collection of heroes trots the globe in search of adventures and excitement. Collects Gen¹³ vol. 2, #1-7

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Brandon Choi is an American comic book writer who wrote several titles for Wildstorm Comics with his friend Jim Lee.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gen-13 is a team of young people with super-powers, much like some of the Marvel X-teams. They're a little bit more explicit with sexual content, they take themselves a little less seriously, and they seem to have a whole lot more fun. The plot line seems fairly confused, with some events popping up without resolution and then others popping in with no reference, but it was a fun book, very visually appealing even when it didn't make a whole lot of sense. The pirate adventure was a hoot, but then there was a sequence set in Rome with much of the dialog written in Italian with no translation offered. It was a quick, fun read.

[Alex Memus · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was the first comic book that I read as a teenager. And back then it seemed so cool for me.
Re-reading it as an adult was a strange experience, though:
-The writing is awful. I almost can't stand it now.
-It's overly sexualized and even sexist. I'm even ashamed a little that i enjoyed this as a teenager.
-The story is a blatant rip-off of X-Men.
-The artwork is un-even. Some poses and angles work fine. But at 3/4 profile from behind pupils are missing and screaming mouthes are asymmetrical (as bad Stallone cartoons).

However,
-The covers are cool. And hint more and better story than it's actually delivered.
-Some of the artwork (devices mostly) has this feel of Akira adaptations and I like it.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the let-down of the first GN in this series, I wouldn't have read this if I hadn't already had it on a shelf. Some of the same story problems exist here; no idea what the point of the arc in Italy was, how old any of the people on the team are, who the bounty-hunting aliens are, or why the characters make some of the (very stupid) decisions they make. The writer needed to pick an arc and stick with it rather than try to tell every story at the same time.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skate-punk mutant kids from La Jolla make the scene in romantic Rome, Italy tearing up ancient landmarks fighting evil forces (killer blondes in leather). The action is very saucy and J. Scott Campbell’s artwork is always pretty cartoony and hot. He should just do pin-ups instead of comics, but until then this will do.