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.
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.
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.
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.