21 Down: The Conduit

Mr. Palmiotti here at his best! Great character development & fierce pacing throughout. A must read that I recommend in the highest order.

21 DOWN: THE CONDUIT is akin to watching two cars instants before they collide head-on-you just know they're going to hit, but there's something in you that prohibits you from turning away. Palmiotti, Gray and Saiz manage to capture that same feeling with Preston Kills, a guy who not only sees people's final moments before they die, but has more reason to dread his birthday than anyone else on Earth. As Preston is drawn ever closer towards his own inevitable fate, you're simply forced to follow him along and see how it will all unfold. Hands-down, 21 DOWN: THE CONDUIT is one of the very best pieces of fiction this year. And it makes a GREAT birthday present!

I have all the issues of 21 Down already in comic form but I had to get this as a graphic novel. Its an amazingly compelling story that will draw you in with beautiful art and excellent storytelling. What more could you want? I'll be buying a few more for friends this holiday season!

I read the 21Down tpb on Tuesday and I can't explain how much I was blown away reading it in collected form. I loved the series as a monthly- but I read it again and I guess now I paid more attention to dialogue and character than before (and I did pay a lot of attention). Simply put, I'd put this in the small category of "best tpbs of the year" and one of my favorite comics of all time. Every page, every WORD was overflowing with character introspection and telling me SOMETHING MORE about the characters involved. I actually care what happens to these two, not because they're nostalgic favorites of old or cool concepts, but because they're genuinely enthralling characters involved in an engrossing storyline. Every issue/chapter existed for a reason- there was no filler- and instead of copious splash pages, I was greated with lots of forward movement, through dialogue and action. Characters acted like real people, not like "comic" people and every event had reprecussions. 21Down is unique in the comic market not because of it's fresh takes on super powers and conspiracies, but because it TRULY puts character and character development first, without losing an interesting and intelligent plot.-Arune Singh