In the world of comics the most successful stories are often ones which go big and epic in terms of scale – from alien invasions to nuclear wars – however, bigger is not always better as Gabe Shaoolian and Mark Powers look set to prove in Biowars #1 as they go microscopic to tell an epic tale about a battle waged within the human body. So is this just the kind of book the doctor ordered, or will it leave readers struggling to digest?

Publisher: Gabriel Creations
Writer: Gabe Shaoolian(creator), Mark Powers (Writer)
Artists: Joana Lafuente, Lucius Cross, Gonçalo Lopes
Price: Free

Biowars #1 begins just as a great battle gets underway. However, this battle is not taking place on a distant battleground but within the human body as the biowarriors, tasked with protecting their domain from the foreign viral and bacterial invaders, find themselves facing off against an opponent unlike any they have faced before and whom, according to the biowarriors leaders the council of the mind, could end up destroying their entire universe. Meanwhile, the universe in question is in fact a man feeling the infection, but this might not be how he dies as he is hunted by a mysterious enemy.

With a Saturday morning cartoons meets Power Rangers feel, Biowars #1, Gabe Shaoolian and his team have created not just a compelling title, but also an informative one. While the plot feels very epic despite its microscopic setting, writer Mark Powers provides plenty of information to not only keep the reader involved with the necessary details of the plot but it also feels as though it is subtly trying to educate in explaining how the human body works.

The characters, are your traditional archetypes from this kind of team book (the leader, the maverick etc), and while not yet fully developed in this first issue they do make an impact and present glimpses at the varied personalities which all feel equally enjoyable. The book’s only weak link in terms of story is the macro side plot involving the human host, which, although it gives the book an added depth, feels a little distracting to the main story.

Unlike many indie or webcomic, the artwork really brings Biowars #1 book to life. Joana Lafuente, Lucius Cross and Gonçalo Lopes work is so crisp and dynamic that every page looks like it is about to burst out from every panel. While the character and location designs are so unique that it can only make you wonder if that’s exactly how the human body looks on the inside. We often bemoan the over reliance on computer colours in digital comics, but here they truly excel creating a high quality product that would not look out of place in a title from the Big Two and helps make Biowars #1 into something truly worth checking out.

“Don’t be put off by the fact this book it is free, it is packed full of more value than many more expensive titles from more seasoned publishers. Plus it’s really good fun and great to look at. The creative team have put all their skill and talent into making this title into something really enjoyable and the future for Biowars look very healthy indeed!”