A Review of American Dreams #1

American Dreams #1
Daniel Kalban words
Dody Eka art
Tebe Andry inks
Warnia K. Sahadewa colors
Matt Bowers letters
From Band of Bards

Are the big superhero stories feeling a little stale? Wanting some history and culture mixed with your cape dramas? Well, peep the solicit:

In New York City, 1900, a Jewish immigrant, Jake Gold, works in a sweatshop by day and fights in a gang at night. One night Thomas Edison performs a strange experiment in Central Park, unleashing strange energy across NYC and Jake is suddenly gifted with amazing powers. His path soon crosses with that of luminaries such as Harry Houdini, anarchist Emma Goldman, and crusading journalist Nellie Bly. Standing against the neophyte hero are Edison, JP Morgan, and, worst of all, the occultist leader Aleister Crowley. Can Jake rise to the occasion and protect everyone's American Dreams?

Jake Gold is about to be your new favorite superhero. 

I was instantly drawn into Daniel Kalban’s American Dreams due to its underlying notion of putting it to JP Morgan (when I dealt with them, it was JP Morgan Chase). Though I was initially living vicariously through that, ‘eat the rich,’ mentality, it didn’t take me long to find the other gems shining in the panels.

This book is good. It’s a fresh, wonderful origin story decorated in history and Jewish culture. It reminds me of G. Willow Wilson’s Miss Marvel in how it acts as a window into a world of traditions and family life I didn’t know much about. It all flows into a cohesive narrative. The class rivalries dealing with morally bankrupt, hideously rich, men in power is a solid tale on its own, one in which many of us can relate, but Kalban is able to weave that thread into the loop of an entirely different needle and stitch together a superhero story unlike any we’ve seen lately.

Premier issues are tricky to pull off, but this creative team misses no beats. It’s a solid mix of dramatics and action. There’s a lot of heart and hope even when the book’s occupied world yields neither. Like any great cape story, there are those moments where people get punched so hard they fly off panel and crash into distant scenery. Debris scatters. The sky is torn open. There’s a sinister side to the blast of energy empowering these characters, and readers will be very excited to see what that darkness tarnishes by the end of the first arc. There are a myriad of reasons to excitedly head into issue two’s territory, but I’d be remiss to not mention the wonderful art.

I’m really into the old school art team vibe, utilizing a penciler, inker, and colorist. There’s something to be said about sticking with tradition, and I think it’s all really paying off here. Eka’s linework and scenery building is top-tier, but it really finds a footing once Andry inks it, and historical New York really comes to life with Sahadewa’s rich, golden-warm color palette. No one’s eyes are going to be angry while sweeping through the pages of American Dreams.

I love how human these characters look. Life is hard, and you can feel the weight of those issues in the physical details of the cast. You can see the distrust in the faces of the rich. These are intelligent moves by the creators, and they all work to successfully instill the right kind of vibes for a superhero narrative: the world and its people need saving. Things are dire and must change. Someone must stand up for the innocence being lost, and that someone is Jake Gold. Trust in the buzz, when Jake Gold finally stands up, those scenes are absolutely glorious as well. I’m buzzing with anticipation to see how great the book starts to look when the capes dawn their costumes and start flying through the skies of 1900s New York!

Unfortunately, this book was too good. It’s sold out at retailers, but I hear Band of Bards is ordering more copies of American Dreams #1. You can actually still pre-order the first and second issues through the Band of Bards site, here. 

Issue 3, with a stellar cover by

Hot Off The Stress

, is in PREVIEWS, and you can order it from your shop with this Diamond Code: APR231241. I highly recommend pre-ordering the previous issues and catching up with this wonderful comic before it’s too late. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s American Dreams flying off the shelves in comic shops, so make sure you secure your copies now!

American Dreams #3 CA Alex Moore

Also, keep a lookout because Daniel Kalban will be on the livestream next Friday, and we’ll be talking all things American Dreams and giving away some Band of Bards comics!