C.O.W.L. #1 Review by Eblison Grun

C.O.W.L. #1

writers- Kyle Higgins/Alec Siegel

artist- Rod Reis

It could be called “smart, edgy, innovative, or ground-breaking,” but there's one thing that IMAGE Comics' book C.O.W.L. can't be called, and that's typical.

C.O.W.L.'s writers, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel, have created a universe where Chicago's crime

fighters have discovered a more effective way of cleaning up the streets... by unionizing. C.O.W.L. stands for Chicago Organized Workers League, and they patrol the city blasting, smashing, and zapping their way to a more peaceful existence for Chicago's citizens.

I've enjoyed Higgins' work before on books like Nightwing, Gates of Gotham, and Deathstroke. He and Siegel have a way of bringing out characterization in the dialogue in C.O.W.L. and it's that kind of development that sets the scene for a comic book masterpiece. When reading this book, I can't help but think. “Watchmen meets Madmen,” but it's not that simple. C.O.W.L. is unique. The dialogue is real, the cast is believable, and the backdrop is a world filled with martinis, mini skirts, and womanizing politicians concerned with what the media is selling the people of the city. It's the 1960's and labor unions are big and getting bigger. The average American family has one house, one car, 2.5 children, a dog, and a picket fence. In C.O.W.L., a percentage of those also have superpowers. And that's something else I like about the book: the heroes are people. The men come home to their wives and children and sit down to supper, just like everyone else. The next morning, they put their costumes back on and fight villains all over again. Great writing from this duo.

Rod Reis' artwork is incredible. He's not just an artist, he's a visual engineer. What he does with light and shadows and negative spaces, with the colors and the action... I honestly get excited thinking about it. I've seen the name Rod Reis pop up over the last few years but mostly in context to his work in coloring. Well, Reis knows his stuff when it comes to pictures, too. His work really gives C.O.W.L. that cool, wet, noir of the sixties look and I'd recommend the book on either the writing or the art alone.

So, check out C.O.W.L. #1 at bookstores near you. The second issue should be coming out soon and it's not something you're going to want to miss.