By Dustin Cabeal

There’s an air of familiarity to Dauntless that I never could shake. I read it back to back with Exodus which is another title from Tres Calaveras Studios and the two share one very similar component: they each follow super powered humans from outer space.

In Dauntless we follow one such alien as he fights against his own people that have decided to take over the planet. Why? Because they have super powers and survival of the fittest philosophy. They fight a lot as our main character narrates background info on himself and this race of people from the stars.

The writing is good. The narration fits the package, and since we’re starting in the midst of it all rather than watching these humanoid aliens crash land, it’s gets us up to speed in a way that’s interesting and not boring. It’s just that I could never shake that feeling of familiarity. It’s a bit like Transformers; it’s a bit like Superman. Dauntless isn’t bad because of that; it’s just that it doesn’t help it stand out either.

The artwork is quite good. Juan Martinez-Alarcon illustrates action sequences and violence in an entertaining fashion. It’s a good thing that the aliens have an “if you’re not with me, you’re against me attitude,” because the main dude knocks one of their eyes out and uppercuts the shit out of more than a few of them. It’s entertaining and beautifully colored by David de Alonso, who also worked on Exodus.

I would likely read more of Dauntless to see what creator and writer Emilio Rodriguez has in store for the series. Hopefully, it can shake its influences and grow and develop into something that inspires other writers. At the very least, let’s just hope it maintains this level of eye-popping entertainment.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Emilio Rodriguez
Artist: Juan Martinez-Alarcon
Colorist: David de Alonso
Publisher: Tres Calaveras Studio