Army of One

This energetic, universe-hopping action series from Lee (Hope Falls) and British-Chinese artist Li (the Hell Boy series) hits the ground running but occasionally trips over its own conceits. Carrie, a typical Illinois teenager, is thrown headfirst into adventure when she meets a group of superpowered alternate-universe versions of herself—and the interdimensional assassins out to eliminate them. All the doppelgängers, she learns, are “shards,” copies of their original: Sister Fortune, a powerful being who was destroyed by her sibling Brother Havoc. Every character Carrie meets, including the many versions of herself, harbors a different agenda, and she’s hurled across the multiverse on the run for her life before she or the reader can catch up to whose side to be on. “I can’t be the chosen one,” she complains. “I have a math test on Friday.” Though aimed at adults, the story line holds obvious crossover appeal for teens. Li’s clean and dynamic art excels in the action sequences and, enlivened by warm colors, rises to the challenge of rendering each version of Carrie visually distinctive. But the large cast, multiple rival groups, alternate universes, prophesies that may or may not be true, and other story elements (including which Carrie has which specialized superpower) may leave readers dizzy. Those who hop on board will hope this speedboat rights its course in volume two. (Mar.)