C.O.W.L. 6 (November 2014)

C.O.W.L. #6 It’s a gimmick issue, with artist Elsa Charretier filling in. The comic is supposed to be a licensed biography of the Grey Raven from 1962. The best part of the gimmick–conceptually, not in execution–is the sixties advertisements for other modern Image Comics. The ads don’t come off, but the idea is cute.

The big problem with the issue is the disconnect between it being an official biography of a character and what it actually conveys to the reader. The Grey Raven discovers his father isn’t just a corrupt cop, but an actual bank robber. There’s no character development, since Higgins and Siegel are doing their version of a sixties comic… no character development, no subtlety.

It’s a reductive gimmick and doesn’t offer much. It’s still a competent enough outing and Charretier fits the gimmick perfectly. She doesn’t have much detail or compositional ingenuity.

It’s passable, if remarkably unambitious.

CREDITS

Raven’s First Flight!; writers, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel; artist, Elsa Charretier; colorist, Rod Reis; letterer, Troy Peteri; editor, Andy Schmidt; publisher, Image Comics.

C.O.W.L. 5 (September 2014)

C.O.W.L. #5 It’s a decent enough issue–with Reis doing a lengthy Sienkiewicz-inspired action sequence–but it’s a little light.

C.O.W.L. is a hard-sell, which makes writers Higgins and Siegel’s accomplishments more significant, because it’s a comic book about a labor union and union politics and union negotiating. The superhero aspect of the comic doesn’t come into play much throughout the issue, with Higgins and Siegel saving it for the finale.

But even then it has a lot to do with the union and its problems.

Most of the art is highly stylized, but Reis never gets in the way of the story. He keeps the talking heads scenes visually interesting. Even with its problems, the issue is impressive. Higgins and Siegel find time for character scenes, they find time for conspiracies, they just don’t have enough A plot for the issue.

Slightness aside, it’s still perfectly good stuff.

CREDITS

Principles of Power, Chapter Five: Sacrifice; writers, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel; artist, Rod Reis; letterer, Troy Peteri; editor, Andy Schmidt; publisher, Image Comics.

C.O.W.L. 4 (August 2014)

C.O.W.L. #4 Stéphane Perger joins Reis on the art this issue; their styles compliment one another, but are still distinct. The art is both more stylized and emotive over all and it helps the issue immensely.

As for Higgins and Siegel’s story, it’s phenomenal. They’re apparently comfortable enough in C.O.W.L. to let some subplots rest without getting full recaps and minimal motion. There’s some quiet family drama, there’s some quiet relationship drama. It’s all very quiet; even though it’s about the superheroes picketing the police department.

Real quick–the picket lines meet a predictable conclusion when it’s one law enforcement agency picketing and another one not. Higgins and Siegel find a whole lot to talk about this comic and not much of it has to do with flying men. They aren’t turning C.O.W.L. into a history lesson, they’re instead using it as a discussion piece about history.

The comic’s really shaping up well.

CREDITS

Principles of Power, Chapter Four: Unity; writers, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel; artists, Rod Reis and Stéphane Perger; letterer, Troy Peteri; editor, Andy Schmidt; publisher, Image Comics.

C.O.W.L. 3 (July 2014)

C.O.W.L. #3 There’s a lot going on this issue; Higgins and Siegel move between two big plots–the super-powered guys going up against a common gangster (which is against union rules) and then the boss negotiating the new contract with the city–while there are a couple little things going on.

The first little thing ties into the gangster storyline. The female superhero is feeling discounted because of her gender and an unlikely colleague shows up and gives her the chance to work outside the norm. It’s a great little arc because there’s so much Higgins and Siegel get to comment on.

Excellent Reis art–throughout, not just on this storyline–is essential to the issue’s success.

Then there’s a little continuation on one of the previous issue’s soft cliffhangers. It’s an interesting continuation because Higgins and Siegel promote it to the issue’s principal cliffhanger, all very quietly.

C.O.W.L. is showing some definite improvement this issue.

CREDITS

Principles of Power, Chapter Three: Perception; writers, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel; artist, Rod Reis; letterer, Troy Peteri; editor, Andy Schmidt; publisher, Image Comics.

C.O.W.L. 2 (June 2014)

C.O.W.L. #2 This issue of C.O.W.L. doesn’t so much have scenes as it has snippets of scenes. The whole thing plays like a movie trailer for itself.

Higgins and Siegel open with the two plainclothes guys dropping on of them’s kids off for school. The kid gives his dad crap for not having a costume. Think it comes back in a dramatic fashion? Big time.

Then there’s some corruption stuff and some scheming stuff. All of these scenes hint at something ominous going on but ominous ongoings don’t make the story move. The characters should make the story move, only Higgins and Siegel barely let the characters breathe. The best scenes in the comic are the conversation scenes wiht the guy investigating the corruption. The political stuff is terrible.

“The West Wing” it ain’t.

Worse, the plainclothes guys stuff is bad because they don’t get enough time.

Luckily, Reis’s art holds up.

CREDITS

Principles of Power, Chapter Two: Self-Deception; writers, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel; artist, Rod Reis; letterer, Troy Peteri; editor, Andy Schmidt; publisher, Image Comics.

C.O.W.L. 1 (May 2014)

C.O.W.L. #1 There’s something really neat about C.O.W.L.. Writers Kyle Higgins and Alex Siegel don’t mess around with the setting–it’s early sixties Chicago and there’s a unionized team of superheroes defending the city. But it’s less a superhero comic than a police procedural.

For example, there’s not a lot of emphasis on explaining the characters’ powers. Artist Rod Reis does an awesome, probably digital paint thing, and his panels move fast. There’s no time to waste with exposition about who can do what. Higgins and Siegel seem happy to let the reader figure out the powers when needed, but just to fill pages.

The issue jumps around a lot, from the costumed heroes to the plainclothes ones, and it all has to do with this one case. So there’s that procedural aspect.

There are way too many balls in the air at the end of the issue, but it’s definitely impressive stuff.

CREDITS

Principles of Power, Chapter One: Motivation; writers, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel; artist, Rod Reis; letterer, Troy Peteri; editor, Andy Schmidt; publisher, Image Comics.