Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer: The Comic Strip, Vol 2

I've got so many books that I had forgotten that I even owned this. I've been reading a lot of mystery noir lately and I was going through a forgotten corner of my comic book collection where I unearthed this read. So I was already in the mood to finally read it. How long has it been in my collection? I couldn't say other than I've not had it longer than 2007 when I started collecting again after over a decade pause.

From 1985, this collection from Ken Pierce, Inc., reprints the final half of the short-lived Mike Hammer comic strip that ran in nationally syndicated newspapers from 1953-54. Written by the master himself, Mickey Spillane, these stories are as gritty and violent as his novels. Take the wrap around cover image of a partially undressed girl being tied up, gagged and tortured with a lit cigarette being held to the bottom of her foot. It was so salacious at the time, several major newspapers dropped the strip immediately, spelling the end of the strip that ran 6 dailies along with a separate Sunday supplement story.

The cancellation didn't really bother Mickey Spillane all that much. He was getting tired of the grind of coming up with stories that would last about 6 weeks on average. The author wanted to focus on just novels once again. But for artist Ed Robbins, he took the cancellation very hard, causing a rift between the artist and Spillane.

Novelist Max Allan Collins interviewed Robbins for years and the two developed a friendship. Collins' forward to this book details that relationship along with an overview of the Mike Hammer strip and the events behind it's demise. Unfortunately, Ed Robbins died before this book could be published. Though I am happy to report, not before being able to patch things up with writer Spillane.

The stories are quite good. But they are not quite my taste. I prefer Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe stories. But I'd rather read something by Mickey Spillane than anything Dashell Hammett wrote any day of the week. 

The stories inside involves private eye Mike Hammer being targeted by an unknown assailant when the NYPD erroneously claims that the detective saw who killed a man he found dying in the streets. Mike and trusty secretary Velda then help a naive young couple who are swindled by a pair of loan sharks. Hammer also falls for a girl (the same one being tortured on the cover), who is trying to help her brother flee from gangsters that thinks he stole a jackpot's worth of dough from them. Lastly, Mike gets a paying customer for once; a dying old man who's desperate to reunite with his prodigal son one last time.

I think the most striking thing about this book was how different Mike Hammer looks in the strip compared to the detective I grew up watching on TV. I'm used to envisioning actor Stacy Keach in my head with his gray business suit and equally gray fedora with slicked back hair and mustache. That's because that's exactly what the actor looked like on the CBS TV series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in the 1980s. Here, Hammer is short and stocky, with a buzz cut, a nose that has obviously been broken many times, and wearing really shabby looking clothes. Obviously, this is what Mike Hammer is supposed to look like as I highly doubt Mickey Spillane would have let Ed Robbins draw his signature character any other way. But it's a stark contrast from what I grew up watching.

I was satisfied enough to not need to search out volume 1. I enjoyed what I read here. But not enough to keep it. So I felt like I was nonplussed with needing to read further. That is until I found out that one of the stories contained in volume 1 is a Christmas Mike Hammer adventure. Well, let's put that on my holiday comic wish list.

Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in!!!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 4

October is almost here. That means I can let myself read Halloween and other horror themed titles throughout the whole month. But I can't wait. I'm like a kid waiting for Santa to arrive. I needed a fix and I needed it quick.

I decided to go with an unread volume of Will Eisner's Spirit Archives. With its noirish tone, creepy villains and the fact that the Spirit lives in a cemetery, I felt like I could scratch that Halloween itch without breaking my self-imposed reading guidelines.

The stories in this volume were originally published from January-June, 1942. Pearl Harbor shocked the country and America is now at war with Germany and Japan. Thus, elements of the war are beginning to creep into the strip. There's spies and saboteurs galore. The Spirit has been enlisted by the Army as a G-2 level agent, called from time to time to put down the fascist secret agents operating in the shadows of Central City.

These enemy agents are pretty well organized. That's because of workings of their leader, the mysterious master of disguise, the Squid. I can't find evidence of this, so all I can do is conclude that the Squid is an an early version of what will become the Spirit's arch-enemy, the Octopus. But for all I know, they might be the same guy. You never see either's true face. Both wear purple suits with matching gloves. Only the Squid is an operative of Adolph Hitler whereas the Octopus was his own boss and the unofficial leader of the city's underworld.

The controversial Ebony White really shines in a few stories. He develops a robotic figure that helps uncover espionage on an Army base. Plus he shows real bravery and loyalty sticking up for not just the Spirit but Commissioner Dolan and his daughter Ellen.

There's a love triangle afoot as British agent Silk Satin returns on several occasions to help the war effort. Satin almost succeeds in permanently stealing the Spirit away from Ellen during a particularly intimate mission in which The Spirit and Satin must play parents to an innocent little baby. A babe who just happens to be the exiled King of Balkslavania!

The artwork makes me jealous. I wish I could draw that spirited (no pun intended.) Eisner's hands could put so much life into a panel. It's not just a comic book. It's a living breathing world with so many untold tales behind every door and darkened window, just begging to be revealed! 

I want the whole collection. I don't care about the order. Will Eisner's Spirit is my comfort food for when I long for an entertaining, creative read on a chilly night with a faithful cat and warm blanket. Perfect fall weather reading.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain

The sequel to X-Men Noir has a much different tone. The story starts in jungles of Madripoor with the original '40s Angel, Wolverine, Cyclops and Puck seeking the legendary Eye of Cyttorak. In desperate need of cash, these survivors from the first miniseries take a job for a crime lord which results in a double cross! But when the boss winds up dead back in the States, there's a second chance to score some bread from this rotten deal. The only thing standing in their way- recently paroled Professor Charles Xavier and his newly formed Uncanny X Men!

This Marvel Noir entry had a little bit of everything. The first chapter was like if Indiana Jones was a mutant. Then there's a Hong Kong crime picture. Horror thriller. Mission Impossible type heist. And a wrap up with a Body Heat/Double Indemnity type mystery noir. 

While I did feel that the Mark of Cain was much better than the first X-Men Noir book, it wasn't perfect. At times, this book was a bit schizoid. That's not me trying to be poetic or something. That's a literal assessment.

One thing that I appreciated more with this series was the lack of the prose pulp that really caused the first volume to lag. I think those extra 2-3 pages were needed. This story definitely was action packed!

The behind the scenes stuff was a lot more in-depth this time around too. So many great images. And those variant covers- breathtaking!

The final image of this story sets things up for a third volume. That would round out a trilogy. Alas, that just doesn't seem likely. Mark of Cain debuted on shelves in 2009. I just don't see Marvel rounding things out any time soon. Marvel does get nostalgic and returns to it's theme storylines from time to time. Marvel2099 is making a return currently. Could Marvel Noir be awaiting in the wings? If so, I hope we find out what happened immediately after the curtains feel on this adventure.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

RASL, Volume 4: The Secret Journals of Nikola Tesla

The Jeff Smith sci-fi noir caper comes to a close with more questions than answers. Okay- the biggie: 'What does RASL mean?' gets finally gets answered and it's a satisfying one. But there's quite a few that are still left untouched.

I would love to see a sequel come of this. But from what I heard, Smith is busy returning to the world of Bone first. So it could be some time before a RASL Volume 5 ever saw light of day. If ever at all.

Just as Smith is willing to return to Bone, so am I. He really did a fantastic job on this book even if the first chapter was a near recount of the first chapter of volume 2 and even if I wasn't quite 100% happy how this story ended. 

Still, Jeff Smith is a comics master and RASL is proof of it. 

I didn't want it to end and I didn't want it to end without every one of my questions answered. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

RASL, Volume 3: Romance at the Speed of Light

RASL is given a deadline of 48-hours to provide the lizard faced assassin the missing journals of Nikola Tesla or the art thief's loved ones are going to start dying. 

The penultimate chapter of Jeff Smith's RASL gets metaphysical thanks to the scary looking girl on the front cover. Just who is she is up to debate. But man, is she freakin' creepy. (A look at the director's cut extras in the back of the book shows a sketch of RASL that might just blow the lid over the identity of one of the most disturbing moppets in all of comic book history.)

I can't wait to get my hands on the final chapter of this cross-dimensional caper. The story has just kept getting better and better. And I can't believe that I am saying this, but I am more than willing to give Smith's all-ages classic Bone another try. It's quite rare that I give works a third try. But Jeff Smith has really impressed the heck out of me with RASL that I feel it's worth yet another go!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

RASL, Book 2: The Fire of St. George

The origin of RASL is explored in this volume by Jeff Smith (Bone). Fans of the mystery of Nikola Tesla, the Philadelphia experiment, UFOs and conspiracies will delight as this series peels another layer to this multiversal sci-fi noir thriller.

I've really been enjoying this series. I still have zero clue as to why our main character, officially named Dr. Robert Joseph Johnson, is called RASL. The name doesn't really appear anywhere else in this story though it's plot is steeped in Native American folklore and shadow conspiracy. I hope to find out somewhat soon. But I am afraid I may have to go straight to the source of Jeff Smith. Man, will I be pissed if he answers 'it's just a name.'

A great second act that keeps getting better and better!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

    Have you ever heard of String Theory? It's a principle of quantum mechanics in which you look at time as a string. On one end of the string is the past and on the other is the future. Now imagine that you put a little red bead on the string. That bead represents you in the present and as time moves on, the bead keeps moving to the right: the future. 

   Well, if you take that string and roll it into a ball parts of the past will touch the future. At the same time, some part of the past and future are touching the present as well. Some say this is how you'd be able to explain time travel. But this idea also represents how stories with time paradoxes can operate. In these type of stories, dinosaurs end up in the modern era or Ben Franklin goes on a walk with Marilyn Monroe and Brad Pitt in 1600 Venice. 

   So why have I am discussing temporal physics when I should be reviewing Sin City: A Dame to Kill For which isn't about time travel but a gritty crime noir film based on a series of comics by Frank Miller?

  A Dame to Kill For was like someone took all of Miller's Sin City tales and threw them into a blender. Characters who were killed off in the last film appear in starring roles. Stories that happened in the last film haven't occurred in this one yet even though some of those previous events did. Don't even get me started on one character whose new appearance is explained by a plastic surgery that happened in the last film but didn't happen prior to the beginning of this movie. It's all very confusing.

   The problem with all of this is that instead of making Sin City(2) either a prequel or a sequel. Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller decided to make this film both! I'm pretty sure they teach not to do that in Film Making 101. But with the scrambled timeline, you really don't need to see the first film to understand what goes on in a Dame to Kill For.

   If you can get over the initial confusion of the warped timeline, A Dame to Kill For is a pretty good movie. But it's no Sin City! Both films use creative CGI and green screen techniques to make this look like a comic book comic to life. The acting, especially of Mickey Rourke as Marv and Powers Booth as the slimy Sen. Roarke was quite good. But there was a spark missing from the formula that just didn't make the second film hold a candle to the original. 

   With lots of gore, sex, profanity, and violence, this is a gritty drama done in the classic Frank Miller fashion. So, that being said, this ain't for kids. But if you are Frank Miller fan like I am, you will enjoy this. 

   Rodriquez is from that school of film like Tarantino in which they both love to play around with director's cuts and reissue 'definitive' editions of their movies every so often. I think if Robert Rodriguez would take both Sin City films and re-edit them into a way that they were as one film in correct temporal order, you'd have a much more superior film that's more enjoyable to watch and it probably won't have you pausing the movie every 5 minutes and going on Wikipedia to find out what just happened.

    I'm waiting for that edition and hopefully, it will come packaged with one of Miller's Sin City graphic novels as a bonus.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
   

Kurt Busiek's Astro City: The Tarnished Angel

   Rough Neighborhoods.

   Every city and town have those places where family members warn you not to go alone or at night... OR BOTH! These are communities that due to drugs, alcohol, and crime and rampant unemployment, have very little hope left in it's citizens and future. 

   Even with its host of superheroes and bustling cityscapes, Astro City isn't immune to the phenomena. It's called Kiefer Square and because of it's noted reputation of being the headquarters of scores of B-list super villains, the Square is where you go to hire your goon squad for your next heist or plot to take over the world. It's also where old villains and ex-cons go to die. And right now, someone is killing off those villains, one by one.

   Just fresh from parole is Carl Donewicz. You might remember him as the Steel-jacketed Man AKA Steeljacket. He grew up in Kiefer Square, turned to a life of crime in Keifer Square, became a super villain in Kiefer Square, and would like to retire in Kiefer Square if his past would just let him. 

   It's bad enough trying to get a job as an ex-con, but Carl has an even harder time because of his appearance, in which a medical experiment gave him shiny silver skin and super strength. Unable to find a job and not wanting to break parole, Carl reluctantly takes on a role as an amateur private investigator to the recent string of serial killings of old associates and neighbor's of Steeljacket. 

    With the cops refusing to even enter the neighborhood, Steeljacket will need any and all resources available to catch the killer referred to by residents as the 'Black Mask Killer.' But Carl is going to have to act fast as his snooping has put him not only back on the radar of the ACPD but the killer as well.

   I love Kurt Busiek's Astro City stories. They are fun, exciting, and great tributes to the works of legendary DC and Marvel writers and artists. The Tarnished Angel is all of that plus it has that gritty noir element added to it. This was like reading a graphic novel based on the works of Dashiell Hammett with Robert Mitchum starring in the lead (All-time favorite artist Alex Ross even based the look of Steeljacket on the late actor.)

   But the Tarnished Angel also has something more to this story than other Astro City works- it has a human element that is unbridled and raw. It's that quality, which is rare and ironic to find in a superhero book, that knocked Astro City: the Dark Ages out of first place of my favorite AC stories. At 224-pages, this is one of the longest Astro City works to date, but it is worth the read. Every panel oozes pathos and the entire book is nearly flawless. I just wish a few certain characters in this book had lived. AND I kinda wished Steeljacket's story never had to end.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9.99 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #30

   Central City is in the midst of a gang war between the Yakuza and Triad that operate out of the city's China Town. But as it's spilling out into the rest of the City, Commissioner Dolan puts the Spirit in charge of ending the turmoil. Can the hero solve this conflict alone or will he have to accept some less than reputable help from some of the other gangs that operate in the metropolis?

   This was a perfect noir story that had twists, turns, and the patented shock ending. It was very fast paced and a very fun read. Michael Avon Oeming writes and draws this single-issue epic. He did a magnificent job from cover to cover. Sadly, it was the only one he crafts in the dynamic series devoted to the Will Eisner hero. 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #28

   Part three of 'Choices' focuses on the Spirit femme fatale, Plaster of Paris. The Spirit travels to France after he gets a tip that the lethal lady may just have returned from the dead. While in Gay Paree, our hero flashes back to his first meeting with Plaster in the hot desert sands of the Sahara.
   
    While the dangerous dame did have ties to the Spirit villain the Octopus, that's about all that this chapter has to do with the previous two issues. That's very disappointing because after building up a running story involving Spirit trying to rehabilitate his former girlfriend, Silken Floss, the Octopus lackey is nowhere to be found. Plus, except for popping up in flashbacks, the former Denny Colt's archenemy doesn't appear either.

   Now, the story about the possible resurrection of Plaster of Paris was very good and entertaining. It just had nothing to do with the previous two chapters of the 'Choices' storyline despite being built up as such. So, that's going to drop the star rating for this book a little bit but not enough to not be considered Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #27

The cover by Brian Bolland features a super-creepy
looking Lorelei Rox and the deft fingers of
the ever-unseen Octopus.

   Chapter 2 of 'Choices' features a character named Lorelei Rox. She's a siren with an enchanting voice that at the right frequency she can control minds. The Octopus has decided to take advantage of the chanteuse's gift by setting up a sonic device that could enslave the entire city and eventually the world. It's up to the Spirit, Commissioner Dolan and the Central City police, and Octopus affiliate, Dr. Silken Floss to stop the madman's ploy of global domination.

   One part crime noir, one part Phantom, this story was thrilling and a little hokey. The character of Lorelei is a lot like the 1966 Batman series villain Siren, played by Joan Collins. But the character of Ms. Rox was created first sometime around 1940. But I can see that this character definitely was an inspiration to the writers and producers of that classic ABC series.

   This issue builds upon the previous issue with the Spirit having helped to restore Dr. Floss' reputation. But she's still on the fence where her loyalty lies. The team of DeSanto and Uslan have done a wonderful job in crafting what I think is the first ever multi-part Spirit story. But, I felt like the story flipped from gritty noir to goofy parody the moment the Octopus whisks Lorelei to his subterranean sewer lair. Hopefully, the final chapter in the next issue will not disappoint.

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #23 (Correct Version)

Cover by legendary artist
Joe Kubert.

Commissioner Dolan is pretty stressed and needs to relax. So his daughter Ellen and the Spirit take him out to a Dude Ranch for a much needed R & R. But the vacation turns into a working vacay when one of the fellow visitors is murdered during a horseback ride.

    I liked this issue as the art and writing were quite good. It was like reading a comic book version of an Agatha Christie novel, of which I am a fan of. There were intriguing characters with fascinating backstories that may or may not have anything to do with the crime committed. You just have to wade through the clues.

   However, I wasn't quite such a fan of the ending. It's not that the mystery wasn't crafted well or that the reveal was a total cop-out (one Christie novella had all of the victims being the murderer for God's sake!) But when the killer was revealed, as was his motive, I was expecting the criminal to say " ...And I would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids!" This wasn't the mystery machine folks!

   Worth Consuming but it has a very hokey cliched ending and an even cornier punchline.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #21 (DC Comics 2007-09)

   In hopes of bringing down a local gang, the Spirit impersonates their leader under the guise that he has recently been released from jail. But when Chief Dolan's daughter Ellen is kidnapped and taken as a hostage, by the gang the Central City Police are forced to release the actual baddie. What transpires when there is now two bosses and a ton of oddly polite bikers is a comedy of errors that only writers Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier could craft.

    I still prefer Darwyn Cooke's run on this series. I felt that he, with his classic noir style, seemed to channel Will Einser's original take on the Spirit really well. But the duo of Aragones and Evanier are a very close second. The plot was so screwball I thought I was reading a comic book adaptation of a Howard Hawks film. It was tons of fun.

   The art was quite good as well, but it surprised the heck out of me. I was convinced that the art was by writer Aragones. It had that quality of his non-Mad Magazine works such as 'Sergio Aragones Destroys the DC Universe.' Instead, this book was crafted by a Paul Smith. I'm not familiar with his work, but it was quite good and paired well with the Spirit and his zany cast of characters.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit: The Origin Years #6

  This is an interesting mix of noir, patriotism, and spousal abuse. In this collection of chronological Spirit tales from the 1940s, our intrepid hero must save a damsel from a disfigured paramour, then the Spirit enlists in the US army as a secret agent wiping out Nazi insurgents. Later, when Chief Dolan’s daughter decides to become a bounty hunter, the Spirit actually beats up his lady friend in order to prevent her from getting killed by a thug. Lastly, the Spirit must face off against a villainess whose fatal kiss can literally kill.

 Three of these tales are pure noir classics. But I can’t speak for ‘The Manly Art of Defense.’ Just yesterday, Ray Rice was fired from the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the NFL for doing the exact thing the Spirit did to Ellen Doran! To top it off, Ellen’s father, the city chief of police commends the Spirit for dampening Ellen’s aspirations to be a private eye. I can’t believe this saw print. Even more, I can’t believe that that story didn’t get as much hate mail as the Orang the Ape Man stories from Origin Years #4! It seems in the 1940s people were more upset over a talking ape than violence towards women.

Once again, I read a controversial comic book. But, I still consider it worth reading because I feel the best way to learn who we are is to examine where we’ve been. Today’s society is quick to oust anyone who is offensive, violent, or harmful. But that doesn’t mean people can’t change. This series contain ‘directors cut’ articles with Will Eisner about his past works and in these you can tell that he really regrets a lot of the questionable material in his works. But you can also tell when he’s proud of things that pushed the envelope for social change.

Some of Eisner’s later works is his most socially conscious. It’s a lot like Dr. Seuss whose World War II works depicted the Japanese as bucked toothed yokels. Yet his works such as the anti-war classic Butter Battle Book and his conservationist prose, Horton Hears a Who are considered classics that promote and provoke the next generation to correct the wrongs of the past. Eisner might not as been as deliberate as Seuss, but he was a man who gained wisdom from his sins of youth.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit: The Origin Years #4

In this issue, Kitchen Sink Press presents 4 stories from the original run of the Spirit. These stories are classic noir, full of hot guns, even hotter dames, and lots of gritty action. Written and drawn by the legendary Will Eisner, these stories are signs of the times they were written in.

African Americans, such as Spirit’s side-kick Ebony, are portrayed as buck-toothed, swollen lipped, and ignorant. The women in these books are either ditzy damsels in distress or cunning femme fatales who get what they want with their feminine whiles and they act like Praying Mantis, eating their mates after they’ve achieved their goals.

This volumes includes a ‘directors cut’ set of notes that go into further detail of the behind the scenes goings on to make the Spirit comics. Will Eisner is often quoted as having said that he regrets the way he portrayed women and minorities. Even though the material in these books wouldn’t fly into today’s comics, they shouldn’t be ignored. As the old adage goes “those who do not learn from history’s mistakes are doomed to repeat it” and by examining the prejudices of yesteryear hopefully we can learn to overcome them.

The most important aspect of these comics that are vitally important is the artwork themselves. Eisner was always crafting unique ways to incorporate the title of the comic into the splash page. He was also looking at different ways to from a panel for heighten drama and symbolism. Without Will Eisner we wouldn’t have Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, or Jim Sternako to name a few.

The stories themselves are entertaining. First up is a patriotic WWII era morality play between two orphans: one who chooses to fool good and one who ends up down the dark path of gang life. Then there’s a rare two-part story involving Orang, an intelligent ape whose biggest flaw is being in love. Finally is a tale that stars Ebony. When a head injury causes him to have x-ray eyes, the Spirit must keep an eye of him after thugs kidnap the youth to break into a bank vault. It’s actually the start of Eisner trying to rectify the stereotypical portrayal of Ebony in the Spirit and proof that people can change for the better.

A fantastic read that is a must for fans of the Spirit or the comics medium.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Batman: Noir- Eduardo Risso (Deluxe Edition)

 

Yes- Frank Miller has tackled the Dark Knight many times. But imagine if Frank Miller set the Caped Crusader in the Sin City universe. If he had, then you’d get Batman: Noir. Gritty crime drama mixed with stark black & white artwork set in a world where things are anything but.

 

Batman: Noir isn’t a series or a set storyline Instead it’s a collection of works by scribe Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso. The following stories are collected in this work:

 

“BATMAN #620-625, FLASHPOINT: BATMAN - KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE #1-3 and stories from WEDNESDAY COMICS #1-12 and BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #8.” (Amazon.com)

 

The Batman tale, titled “Broken City” has the Dark Knight accidently targeting the wrong man for a murder. That mistake now has the accused on the run from just about every major player in Gotham including Penguin, Killer Croc, Scarface, and the Crown Prince of Crime himself- The Joker. Gotham Knights #8 involves a face to face conversation between Batman and Mr. Zsasz after the serial killer has unleashed his own version of hell on some former associates.

 

The Flashpoint tale is an alternate reality tale set in a universe where Superman doesn’t exist. Here, Bruce Wayne is killed on that fateful night while Thomas and Martha Wayne escaped an assassin’s bullet. The trauma has turned Thomas into a different version of the Batman while Martha has gone over the deep end. That story was fantastic and was a great teaser for when I finalize collection all of the Flashpoint issues soon.

 

Lastly, we’ve got the Wednesday Comics reprint. This story involves an heiress whose being targeted for death as he late husband recently was. This story was good, but I think it was cheating as this tale was reprinted in the B&W format but was originally a full color tale.

 

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. It was like reading a pulp detective novel filled with colorful characters set in a bleak world. The team-up of Azzarello and Risso is a fantastic one. They’re also been paired in a number of works such as 100 Bullets. I’ve never read that series before but it’s got me inspired to do so.

 

Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.