Ignited #1

by Mark Waid, Kwanza Osajyefo, Philippe Briones (Art)

Genres: Comics, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

Published June 5, 2019

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a testament to Mark Waid's writing skills that this book, which aims for topicality by using as its setting a school recovering from a shooting, doesn't feel sensationalistic. Waid manages to weave the trauma of the incident into the plot, even as he also uses it as a catalyst for new "ignited" characters. It's a fine line to walk, and I can imagine there's a large segment of the population that would find this book offensive on its face, but he does the work to justify the decisions behind it. Unfortunately, none of the characters really lives up to the nuance provided in the setting; instead we get trope super teens with some interesting powers who are slowly banding together to do something. This volume is mostly set up, doing the world building and character reveals, but the major confrontation (between the teens, pro-guns-in-schools protesters, and counter-protesters) ends with more of a whimper than a bang (which honestly might have been the point). While the art is pretty good, the characters just don't have the depth to carry my interest into another volume. Maybe people closer to the characters' ages would feel differently. Ultimately, it was worth the read, but I don't find myself investing time to read future issues/volumes.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually have a problem with issue #1. The setup that is required to get us into the world usually means, in my opinion, that there aren't enough pages in a comic book for anything much to actually happen. So instead of things happening, we are fed everything that we need to know so that the story can start in issue #2.

I hope that is the case with Ignited. This issue was hard, at times, to read. So much of it has echoes of things we have heard in the media recently. But… because of the situation in the school where this is set, that's a lot of heavy weight to drop on us. And we do it, trusting that there will be a payoff in the issues to follow.

I am definitely continuing to read, because I like a lot of what they're saying, but I am hoping that the next issue has more story than setting. If it does, it could easily be a four-star read.

[Charity Tinnin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavy concept, solid art, ... I’m intrigued enough to continue.

[Roberto Diaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is some kind of super woke veraion of the x-men, that happens to use a shool shooting in USA (of all things) to trigger their powers. Too soon, and the script is not that good to keep you hooked.