Welcome to Tranquility, Vol. 1

Welcome to Tranquility #1

by Gail Simone, Neil Googe

Tranquility is like any other small town in America, except for one fundamental difference--it's the town where super-powered beings go in order to retire and raise families. From the Golden Age to the Modern Age, heroes and villains alike reside in Tranquility and it creates a unique blend of personalities and conflicts that causes the local law enforcement nothing but headaches. As a camera crew is in town to film a news segment on this unique place, the town is turned upside down by a murder...and it becomes evident that all isn't as quaint as it seems!

Collecting the first six issues of the acclaimed series by Gail Simone and Neil Googe!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fantasy, Mystery, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2007

About the author

Gail Simone is a comic book writer well-known for her work on Birds of Prey (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), and Deadpool (Marvel), among others, and has also written humorous and critical commentary on comics and the comics industry such as the original "Women in Refrigerators" website and a regular column called "You'll All Be Sorry".

Reviews

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable. A pretty unique premise seeing as the characters are older than the characters in Astro City - which had a bit of a similar vibe, in my opinion.

This is sort of a murder mystery in a town with retired superheroes. I like that Simone took the opportunity to show the characters' pasts through their comic strips - in the style of classic comics. I kind of wish (if she'd been so inclined) she'd been able to do it with existing comic book characters. Kingdom Come is really the only example I can think of where we get to see what the Justice League was like as older people. It would've been cool to see Clark and Bruce bickering in a retirement home while Barry and Diana play chess or something in the background.

Anyway, the characters are pretty distinct. I saw the ending coming but it was still a pretty fun ride.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes.

I'm not a superhero comic reader, as a rule, but I AM super into these parodic/superhero-adjacent works (i.e. Top 10, Vol. 1, Johnny Hiro, Cat Girl's Day Off, Rising Stars). And this is a lovely entry into that genre.

Imagine superheroes are a fact of life, and that when they retire, they go to one town in order to live their lives. Child heroes become goth teenage heroes, superteams split and fracture, superhero couples live out the consequences of their commitments, some superheroes become super-senile. Of course, they need a police force. And when someone gets outright murdered, it's up to a cop to solve the mystery.
Most of the characters are very similar to well-known figures in the comicsverse, and I'm sure there are many references and inside jokes I didn't get, since I don't read very much of the mainstream stuff. One character, "Emoticon" felt a little dated already, which is a danger of blending technical jargon with superheroics. The fullcolor illustrations are straight-down-the-middle and accessible.

I was slightly put off by the fact that the only female member of the core superteam is a playboy-stylized "Pink Bunny," but perhaps that's part of the joke? The main cop character is seriously badass.

It was fun to read. If you tend to like this kind of thing, you'll like this too.

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to Tranquility is very similar to the Fables saga in that the characters that you meet in the first volume already have established stories so that, from the very first pages, it feels like the world is completely created and that very little introduction is necessary. Now, unlike Fables, the heroes in this world have unknown mythologies but, because of the archetypes that walk hand in hand with super heroes, the reader can fill in the blanks on her own.

The artwork wasn't that impressive to me with the super hero females being ridiculously drawn as sexy pin-ups and the men having muscles on top of their muscles. I know that's a style that some folks really dig, but it's not my thing.

Also, the climatic portion of Welcome to Tranquility became a bit confusing as three different story lines converged at once. But, overall, I did enjoy the story and had no idea who the real villain was until that person was unmasked. Many graphic novels don't manage to craft an interesting story or mystery, but this one did.

If you enjoyed Welcome to Tranquility, you may want to read Fables and it's many offshoots or, if you're into super heroes and don't mind a traditional book format, try Powerless by Tony Cooper.

[3nyo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gail Simone is heavy-handed and generally uninspired. Her attempts to highlight the absurdity of female superhero cliches end up being cringeworthy. On another note, one of the problems of writing a detective character is that you need to be relatively clever. This was not executed well. All in all, a mediocre book. Decent when it's good, mildly annoying and off-putting when it's bad.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who don’t know, prolific Twitter user (“Twitter-er?,” “tweeter?”) Gail Simone also occasionally writes comic books. Really good ones I’m told because, surprisingly, I’d never actually read any of her work before (at least I can’t recall reading any). Online, I’ve always found her to be a clever, astute writer so I expected more of the same in her day job work and “Welcome To Tranquility” did not disappoint in that regard. Simultaneously celebrating and subverting superhero tropes and the beating-a-dead-horse premise of them living normal lives, Simone’s series is geeky fun wrapped in a noir-ish whodunit and deep-fried in Golden Age satire. Delicious!

In “Welcome To Tranquility,” the town of Tranquility is an idyllic hamlet where over-the-hill heroes and their villainous antagonists have settled down to live out their twilight years. A normally quiet little burg, Tranquility is suddenly a hot bed of activity when one of its superpowered citizens is murdered in broad daylight and just when the town is under the media microscope, too! Of course, when your suspects can teleport or lift tanks over their head or whatnot, that presents some very unique challenges to Sheriff Tommy Lindo and her deputies as they attempt to unravel the mystery. Simone has a whole lot of toys to play with in her sandbox and she takes full advantage of each. The characters all fulfill certain recognizable archetypes but she puts a unique, thoughtful spin on each, from the withered strongman who can’t remember his transformative magic word to the flying ace whose wartime heroics are obscured by dementia. What really makes each character pop, though, is artist Neil Googe’s inventive design and energetic art. He’s comfortable drawing modern angular Image-y pages as well as a variety of old school advertisements and promos, making “Welcome To Tranquility” a highly immersive comic. Simone and Googe are a dynamic duo to rival any of the heroes they bring to life.

Comics has been overrun in recent years by grim antiheroes and “Welcome To Tranquility,” with its unabashed awe of old time-y heroes-in-spandex, helps to restore some of the balance back to the medium. Despite its grisly central crime, the series is joyful and even innocent, a throwback to the days before real life police officers adopted the Punisher logo to advertise their paramilitary aspirations. It’s art as a rebuttal to - not an imitation of - life.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the book had been like the first issue in the volume, then I would have given it 5 stars. It starts on a really high note. Simone's characterization of some elder super-heroes at a diner creates an atmosphere that I want to stay in. Just the idea that the problems were acclimatizing new retirees to the town would have been a book that I would be happy to stick with.

Alas, there is a larger plot. In that larger plot, a lot of the charm gets lost. Before that moment, we are introduced to an elderly woman pilot who gets confused when flying. In the instance, she crashes into downtown Tranquility. While the town sheriff is angry, the mayor talks her down. Afterall, she was an American hero. Danger without any teeth.

Later, someone dies. The death is due to a larger issue, and more people get put in the cross-hairs. By the end of the volume, I wonder if there is anything left in Tranquility that I want to read about. Maybe I'll revisit later, but someone will have to convince me.

The art by Neil Googe is also good in general. It becomes exceptional when there are flashbacks that are meant to emulate more traditional styles. There are a couple of characters whose designs could have been differentiated a bit more, as it can take a second to tell which character you're looking at in some panels.

If you're a fan of either Simone or Googe, then I would recommend it. It also serves as another edition of comic book stories that aren't just hero versus villain that people think of when they say things like, "I'm so done with comic book movies."

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kinda went backwards with this series, reading the third arc first, so it was interesting learning about the origins of the characters I was already familiar with. There's a real Watchmen vibe to the whole series, and yet it doesn't feel derivative for some reason. Probably creative character invention and the character development. The plot ends up not being surprising in a sense, so I'm a little intrigued that I took to the series like I did. Keeping track of all the characters was difficult, so I read through it again after I finished it and enjoyed it much more. I'm actually interested to read the third arc again to see how much more I get out of it now that I know the characters better.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the premise and the basic lot here but this didn't read like a Gail Simone book to me. The jokes were all a bit lazy and too easy. The mystery was good and made sense though. I wish this world could have been fleshed out even more. The book could've done by slowing things down and splitting the book up. The art by Neil Googe was a really good fit for the book. The publishing of this book was incredibly strange. Non-story related pages were randomly placed and it was maddening. Overall, a decent read but seemed like a missed opportunity.

[Greg Dowey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great premis of a murder mystery set in a small town that is essentially a retirement village for old superheros and villains. The book had plenty of twist and turns and some genuinely surprising moments. I was guessing all the way and was quite satisfied by the end of this superhuman whodunnit.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rating really. I am so torn on this. The concept and Gail Simone's writing are wonderful but something was missing and did not grab me. The asides and random scraps of comics were a neat way to show us more about these heroes but it also felt very clunky.

[Sean Goh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting take on life after being a cape (or maxi, in this world). What happens when age (and amnesia) catch up with the superhuman?

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aged yet powerful.
nice job
being their police must be hard

[Deya van de Rijt]

On my TO READ list because it is superheroes and supervillains but like... regular life.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusta mucho el concepto de pueblo de retiro de superhéroes y villanos. Entiendo que a lo mejor la cosa no podría durar demasiado si se centrase solo en los problemas vecinales como vimos en las primeras páginas. Aunque, habrá que ver a dónde va el tema del asesinato que parece mover este cómic.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun idea, with very endearing characters.

[The_Mad_Swede · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read much by Gail Simone, but what I have read (thus far three volumes of her original Birds of Prey run: Of Like Minds , Sensei and Student and Between Dark and Dawn ), I have tended to enjoy. For that reason, I checked out her two volumes of Welcome to Tranquility from the library ages ago, and have kept renewing them, but without actually getting around to reading them (for one reason or another), until recently.

It took me a little while to get into Neil Googe's art, which struck me as a bit too cartoonish (for want of a better word) for my flavour, but it does work well for the storytelling. And Simone has woven an interesting tale about this little town for some retired superheroes (and villains) and their families (often following in their footsteps ... one way or another). Early on, there is a murder, and the mystery of this killing sends repercussions through the community, and threatens that old secrets may be brought out into the open.

All in all, it is a well-told superhero yarn with some twists and turns that was enjoyable to read.

[Michael Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever since Kurt Busiek invented Astro City, comic writers have been setting their stories in that narrow space where the world of superheroes and supervillains intersects with the ordinary human world. Simone’s contribution is the small town of Tranquility, where costumed heroes and a few reformed Bad Guys go to retire and raise families. The local diner, where Judge Fury (now the mayor), Bad Dog, and the others chow down on the fried chicken platter, is run by the Pink Bunny. If you do the math, the fact that these people -- most of whom aren’t “super” at all -- fought the Axis in the 1930s and ‘40s makes them much older than they look. But that’s not bad art, as it turns out, it’s part of the larger plot. There are some nice bits, like the little accountant-looking guy who can’t remember the magic word that turns him into Maxi Man, and the billionaire ex-child hero of the air who keeps inventing new aircraft -- and crashing them. And the tongue-in-cheekiness is fun (especially in the reprints of “original” comics featuring Tranquility’s denizens), intimating that the reader shouldn’t take all this too seriously. The best part probably is the gang of new-style teenage “heroes” on the goth pattern, offspring of the more traditional heroes, who call themselves the Liberty Snots. But the narrative has way too many gaps. I kept turning back, thinking I had skipped a page. And the character who ties most of the brief one-issue plots together (and is therefore the most developed) is Thomasina, the sheriff, and the granddaughter of a costumed hero but apparently quite human herself. The art, mostly by Neil Googe, is okay but unremarkable. I kept thinking that this series would have come out much better in Buziek’s hands.

[Dani Shuping · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of superhero comics, but this one is not your normal superhero comic. Tranquility is the town where superheroes and supervillains go to retire and escape from their former lives. Here they live, recount old tales, raise families, and exist as mostly normal people. Not much happens here...and then, one day, a murder occurs. And then others follow. It's up to the sheriff, the daughter of a former hero, to solve the crime and protect the town. Will she be able to solve the murder before the town is torn apart? Or will the world be destroyed first? Turn the page and find out...

It's an interesting story concept--Superhero's and supervillains living together in supposed harmony, even becoming friends, and growing old together. But...there are some plot holes. At times I turn the page and wonder if I've missed something. Such as who the sheriff's father is. Or who some of the characters are that show up, like the young teen heroes (apparently they used to be on TV?) Some of it gets revealed as the issue continues, but it creates for some "wha...the heck just happened here" moments. It's a decent enough of story, but feels like it could have been arranged a bit differently to present a more cohesiveness. The artwork is decent enough, nothing really spectacular or amazing stands out about it, but it does work well for the story.

In short...it's an interesting addition to the superhero genre and does have some creative, entertaining characters...and even with its faults I'd still recommend it. I look forward to reading a future volume and hope that perhaps the story telling is a little bit better in it.

[Terri London Mabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm, gosh, I wanted to love it. I lurv Top 10 and the premise is similar so it was like a chance to revisit that fun concept. Unfortunately, Top 10 sort of goes much more wild and crazy with the idea of an untamed city full of super beings, so Tranquility seemed merely quaint in comparison.

However I loved the method of interspersing the story with excerpts from the character's comic books (of their youth) -- that was fantastic. They were either relevant to building character, or to the mystery storyline. However she could have used these to much better effect to drop clues for the mystery story.

Because the mystery story was poorly constructed. The comic seemed to have been built not so much for a great revelation at the end that makes sense in terms of what it reveals about the baddies, but it was just a lead up for the roles that all the other characters would play at the end to overcome them. Which means I guessed the killer, but for a stupid reason. The actual motivation was never properly hinted at or foreshadowed, and was totally random when revealed. But then the battle was completely foreshadowed and therefore satisfying.

So... weak mystery... great final battle/character denouement.

[B. Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading issues 1-12 of the Wildstorm series Welcome To Tranquility. I enjoyed it a lot. It reminded me in many ways of a Astro City with an equal helping of Invincible thrown in. It is based on a town, Tranquility, where a number of superheroes have retired and raised children and have at this point become grandparents. The main character is the intrepid sheriff Thomasina Lindo. She is just a woman trying to do what is right in a community of superpowered beings. The stories are net and quirky, the first arc was a mystery and the second arc was a "zombie invasion". But really the characters in the series are the heart and soul of the comic. They often get short little comics within the comic done in a number of different comic styles from the past. You can't help but enjoy such awesome characters as Deputy Presley Duray, Captain Cobra and Mongoose Man, and good ole Zeke (the zombie caretaker). I recommend this comic for a fun light read. There's nothing ground-breaking about it, but it is a hell of a lot of fun!

[James Carmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

So great. Here's why.

Neil Googe's art is charismatic. Clear lines and forms that pop, a lovely and distinctive pastel-ish color palette (I imagine others in addition to Googe get credit for that), and expressive faces and characterization. It's a pleasant visual world to get lost in.

Gail Simone's characterization and depth -- even more than the engaging, offbeat premise of the whole series -- makes you realize how much you let other comic books off the hook. Characters actually do/say brave or bad or surprising things -- things that made me warm or smile or cringe, as a reader -- instead of just the story indication of a brave or bad or surprising that I often find I settle for in comic books. I was drawn into the characters' journeys, choices, and fates in a way I seldom am in this form, and I'm grateful to Simone for achieving that.

Tranquility is a nice place to spend some time.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eläköityneiden supersankarien ja -vihulaisten kansoittaman kaupungin rauhaa rikkoo ravintolassa sattuva kärhämä, joka päättyy Mr. Articulaten kuolemaan. Kuka läsnäolijoista onkaan tappaja? Sheriffi Thomasina Lindon käsissä on tapaus, jonka selvittäminen osoittautuu arvattua ongelmallisemmaksi - ja kaiken lisäksi murha ei jää viimeiseksi.

Näppärän murhamysteerin lisäksi Gail Simonen käsikirjoittama ja Neil Googen piirtämä sarjakuva tarjoaa lukijalleen värikkään ja humoristisenkin henkilögallerian, johon lukeutuu niin höpsähtänyt lentäjä-ässä, supervoimat takaavan taikasanan unohtanut dementikko ja supersankareiden lapsenlapsista koostuva goottinuorten jengi.

Laadukasta ja vähän vaihtoehtoisempaa supersankarisarjakuvaa, jonka voisi uskoa kolahtavan ainakin "Powersin" ystäviin.

[thebaronessofbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on the super hero genre, with nods to The Golden Age of comics with the senior citizens and the more modern "dark and gritty" modern teenagers. I thought that the art style was also easy to look at. (Though some of the facial expressions seemed more comical than serious.)

Really enjoyed how the town it's self was thought out. With both a history, a gossip rag. I'm aware that this series has only three volumes, which is a HUGE shame because this series has so much potential and could really be more fleshed out and depth added, though it may be the case in later volumes.

I really found this a fun quick read and would recommend it to people who like comic books, superhero's, and who want something that's more slice of life combined with a plot.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Finalmente me lo compré en los tomos #1 y 2 de la edición española de Norma, que no subo para no partir esta edición en 2. Si está igual de bueno que el segundo tomo (que sí me compré en inglés), seguro recontra valga la pena."
Pronosticaba con relativo acierto. Me gustó más el #2 cuando lo leí en su momento que esta larga intro que conforma los primeros seis números. Quizás porque me tomó más por sorpresa, quizás porque la resolución me pareció más interesante que la premisa. La cuestión es que la pasé bastante bien leyendo esta serie, y cuando tenga a mano la continuación (que supongo que es el tomo que anunció Norma), le daré una chance con mucho gusto.

[bkwurm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully engaging tale about a small town where superheroes and supervillains go to live when they retire. Life is generally peaceful, except for the odd quirks of some heroes who can't quite grasp that their glory days are over and continued tensions between life long enemies who are now neighbours. Then a murder occurs and it seems that the town conceals a secret that someone is prepared to kill to keep.

I liked the background characters a lot and would have liked to see more of some of them. The only thing preventing this from gaining a full 5 stars -







how is it that no one noticed that the plotters visited the cave daily?

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tranquility is a town where super heroes and villains retired. That's the conceit. The story built around it is a whodunnit. An unpowered sheriff is in a precarious place of trying to control people who are more powerful than her.
The story is basically an excuse to introduce the characters, and the characters are what make the story. A shazam type power who has forgotten his magic word; a former cheesecake token female who now serves cheesecake as the town diner's cook; a fiend who is the town's cemetery caretaker; a doctor with X-ray vision. They're variations on the classics, but all are interestingly drawn. And speaking of drawn, the art is good too, simple and clean.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining murder mystery set in a quiet small town where old super-heroes and villians to go retire. Simone does an excellent job of establishing a large cast in a small amount of space. Some of the more minor characters (like the Captain Marvel-style hero who has forgotten his magic word) are the most memorable. Somewhat lighter in tone than Watchmen and other super hero "deconstructions."

[TinaNoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A town that features retired super-heroes. It also has a big secret worth killing for. The mystery is interesting as are all the different personalities. Reminds me a bit of Astro City Vol. 1: Life in the Big City, but only a bit. Love the main female character, Sheriff Thomasina Lindo. Always nice to run across a graphic novel that features an Af-Am female character. A rarity, but very welcome.

[Danie · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was awesome (I'm on a Gail Simone kick, which is why I picked this up in the first place. She needs to write more, and DC needs to stop being a pain in the butt and kicking her off of titles that she's totally rocking, of course, she sorta rocks whatever project she's on so... I can see DC's problem *rolls eyes*)

It's about retired heroes. And, not only is it a comic book, but dude, it had a nice little mystery in there too, which, since I love mysteries (as my books read atests to) was the cherry on the awesome cake!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well of course I gave a Gail Simone book five stars but it's not just because I'm stanning. It's because this book was really good and there were so many small things I loved about it. The flashbacks in every piece, the "behind the story" looks at the superheroes, and the dialogue that had a weird dark little Andy Griffith feel. The main character, Sheriff Lindo, was especially awesome and the genius of Emoticon.