_Jumpscars_ by Nunzio Defilippis and Christina Weir

Jumpscars is a graphic novel tied to the Jumper movie, a prequel for that movie it appears. Entertainingly, we get to see Samuel L. Jackson shown in the comic. I don't know a thing about the movie tie in, I'm just busily devouring all the comics my local library will stock. Turns out jumping refers to teleportation, and this is a series where people with the jumping talent have been appearing for years, and there's also a group of people called paladins...who chase down the jumpers and kill them.

Let's leave aside the fact that this sort of setup is pretty trite: there's exactly one secret power in the world and it has a secret group to combat it. It's vampires and slayers all over again. But hey, I like superpowers, I'll let it slide.

Still, I really couldn't believe this was the premise at first. Who decides to write a book about a special power and makes out like the powered folk must be stamped out? And although the book says that jumping is evil, and shows some examples of the harm it can do -- people cause accidents -- it seems to rely more on vague statements that jumps tear holes in reality (without explaining why that's bad) and jumpers always lose their moral compasses. So, you know, kill them.

Granted, the story is about one paladin's trouble with this plan. But I kept expecting the story to turn towards being about, say, a jumper and a paladin working together to stop the slaughter, or something. Maybe that has to happen in the movie.

Nonetheless, there was some good writing, some touching scenes, and the art is great. So it was worth a read. Maybe I'll see the movie and it'll all be redeemed.