A former FBI agent gets word of the return of a serial killer he could never catch in the first issue of this retired-detective series, told in a larger, magazine-style format. Acclaimed Batman writer Scott Snyder teams up with his long-time collaborator from the U.K, Jock, to tell the story of Johnny Reader who resides at Harmless House, an assisted living facility in the town of Harmless (the town is eventually revealed to be anything but). Combining glimpses of nostalgia with the brutal reality a detective can witness, the first issue of You Won’t Feel a Thing, which debuted in January 2025, gets the series off to a fantastic start. There will be spoilers integrated into this post.
While the reader has to sit with the structure of the story for a few pages (switching between Johnny as a teen in the early 70s to the present with Johnny at Harmless House), the plot of the first issue comes together by the end. As the flashback begins, the main character, Johnny, worries about his girlfriend named Flower, who will leave soon for the summer. In the present, Johnny is being interviewed by his aide, Carla, about what he remembers from his past. Because of Johnny’s growing brain tumor (called Meningioma, which causes early-onset dementia and hallucinations – no need for further research!), he essentially tells himself what he wants to remember, going back to the hints at nostalgia which can be found in the flashbacks. Going back to those scenes, Johnny plans on proposing to Flower before, as mentioned, she leaves for her cousin’s house. Once he goes to her house and up to the front window, however, he soon sees blood. While the issue doesn’t end there, I always want you, the reader, to get enough out of reading the first issue yourself without me detailing every scene.
Scott Snyder is one of the most popular comic book writers today, so if you’re just getting into the medium, he’s a reliable author to try out. Having a background in prose and in teaching, Snyder understands character, plot, and setting, no matter what kind of book he’s writing. While Jock’s minimalist style takes a short time to get used to, he expertly crafts what each character is going through while also bringing a tint of grunge to the overall setting of the story.
Part of what makes this issue great (as well as what gets readers into continuing with the rest of a series) is the strategy of a first issue. Think of the first issue of a comic as the pilot to a TV show; its purpose is to set the ground for the tone, setting, and style of the rest of the series. If a reader or audience member is not convinced that a comic or show will get any better, they likely won’t commit for any longer. The job of the writer is not to rely on shock value but rather in the engaging characters, plot, and conflict that will get the audience coming back. When it comes to an independent comic company like DSTLRY (abbreviated form of “distillery”), every issue is around 48 pages long. This is much longer than the length of a usual comic, even with some first issues typically coming in at an average of 30 pages, 10 pages longer than the average comic book today. Getting back to You Won’t Feel a Thing, the character of Johnny Reader comes across as a complete character even in one part of the story. We understand that he longs for something, taking the whole first issue to get to that point. Can a detective with early-stage dementia catch a serial killer? Because that’s one of the questions posed by reading the first issue, each reader must be curious enough to read on, just as I will when the next issue comes out.
Liam Jarot – Blogger: Liam is a Senior at Lewis University, majoring in English with a concentration in writing. His hobbies include watching movies, reading comic books, and listening to music. Some of his favorite authors include Charles Soule, Stephen King, and Brian K. Vaughan. After graduating, he plans on working with organizations through technical writing while pursuing creative writing on the side.