The Good
Hardcore has an extremely cool concept. Basically, in order to assassinate someone, a new program puts the mind into the body of someone close to the person that is to be assassinated. From there, the person has complete control over the body and mind of the person they are inhabiting, and can even do things like shutting off pain receptors. It's an insanely cool concept, and was a lot of fun to read.
Although Silvestri is the second person listed on the cover, he only did the cover art. I was really bummed, at first, but I found myself really enjoying Brian Stelfreeze's art. It has a very cool animated style that is extremely detailed, and colors by Sunny Gho that really pop out. The art truly stands out above everything else.
There's lots of great actions right from the get-go as Agent Drake becomes accustomed to being inside the body of a very overweight man as he tries to kill his target. Lots of great dialogue explaining how hard it is to adjust to a body type far from your own, as we see Drake adapt to the situation he is in.
This is a series I'd love to see continue, especially with where we are left off at the end of the issue. The end of the issue puts Drake in an unfortunate situation, and one that I would love to see come to a resolution.
The Bad
You get a lot of information thrown at you in a short amount of time. Because it's a Pilot Season book, it's technically a one-shot, so they have to get you hooked as quick as possible in order for you to vote for said book. Everything here is really great and all, it's just too much in a short amount of time. It feels like the book is rushing me forward as I read.
The Verdict
Pilot Season: Hardcore is a fantastic issue, and one I'd like to see continue. It has a great concept and storyline, and I loved the idea of having an assassin's mind to into the body of someone else. Brian Stelfreeze's art is great here, and this book was filled with a lot of fun and fast paced action sequences.
On the down side, there's a lot of information about the world and its characters thrown at you, almost too much because it's a Pilot Season book. It was a bit overwhelming.
Overall, I highly recommend this issue. It was tons of fun.