By: Ed Brubaker, Colin Wilson Publisher: Wildstorm Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Wildstorm Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 128 Publication Date: November 17, 2003 Release Date: December 01, 2003
The prequel to "Sleeper" -- one of the best graphic novels out there People go on and on about how great this series is, and the good news is, it completely lives up to the hype. I came to "Sleeper" after reading a few other titles Ed Brubaker had written, notably DC's deliciously revamped "Catwoman" (which is also a lot of fun)... I was skeptical, but I'm glad I took the plunge with "Sleeper," as it is one of the best comicbook stories I've read in a long while.
The action takes place in the WildCATS/Authority/Stormwatch universe, once a comicbook backwater that has recently been revitalized into a gritty and witty superhero noir... "Sleeper" tells the story of a superpowered secret agent, Holden Carver, who is placed undercover by a Machiavellian Nick Fury type to infiltrate a sinister spy network populated with superpowered, super-amoral bad guys. Brubaker uses the character's specific superpowers to flesh out their inner lives -- Carver's power is the ability to absorb any amount of bodily damage and transmute it into pure pain, which he can zap other people with. Meanwhile, he feels no pain himself and is practically unkillable, a situation that leaves him feeling dead inside and increasingly alienated from the true-believer idealism that lead him into military service to begin with. Brubaker borrows from the well-trod genre of spy fiction, but adds an extra layer with the whole superpower thing that is well thought-out and rewarding. Without getting into spoilers, etc., I'll just say that this was one of those rare comic series that I regretted getting to the end of... the world it depicted was so absorbing and textured that I was bummed I knew the story would end with Volume 4... (The entire "Sleeper" story is contained in four slim volumes, plus the prequel, "Point Blank," which sets the stage for "Sleeper" and should definitely be read as well...)
It should be mentioned that this is not a book for little kids: there are many of the same sort of "adult" elements as DC's Vertigo imprint -- semi-graphic sexuality and some extreme violence -- although to his credit, Brubaker includes these elements for a reason, and does it with far less of the "gee-whiz" gratuitousness that has made the Vertigo books become so tedious and repetitive. The sex elements cut to the heart of Carver's character, while the violence is used to show the seriousness of his predicament; they actually deepen the story and move it along and are not included merely to titillate readers or gross us out. That being said, I highly recommend this series.
Excellent story that sets up SLEEPER For those of you currently enjoying Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' series SLEEPER for Wildstorm Comics, be sure to check out POINT BLANK, as this is where it all begins. The story: Gen13's John Lynch has been shot and is lying in a coma, and his old friend Cole Cash, WildCATs' Grifter, is out to find who's responsible. The trail goes through many different characters in the Wildstorm Universe, finally leading to a name: Holden Carver. Who is this man, what is his connection to Lynch, and how is the WildCATs renegade Tao involved? Brubaker's story is very creative: an intriguing study of how perspectives influence our perception of events. The end of this book was a surprise, but when I went back to the beginning, all the clues were there. I enjoyed Colin Wilson's art - good action sequences, plenty of depth and texture, and just the right amount of grime for this type of story. These characters are not pretty-boy superheroes with square jaws; rather, they are tired, weathered, and worn-out, just the way that someone in this situation should look.
I had intended on giving this book a 4, but in the end, I can't really find any faults with it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even more so than the first volume of SLEEPER. So start here to get into one of the best comics being published today. Also, if you'd like to add another step and get even MORE backstory, check out the Alan-Moore-penned WildCATs trade paperbacks "Homecoming" and "Gang War". These will get you up to speed on Cole Cash, Tao, and many other characters in POINT BLANK. Not that these two WildCATs volumes are essential to the story, just some additional info.
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