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The
Losers
Dead Man’s Hand
1/AUG/2003
Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics
Writer: Andy Diggle
Pencils: Jock
Inks: Jock
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Clem Robins
Price: $2.95 US/R32.00 SA
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This looked like a great idea for a gritty clandestine operative
comic title. With issue # 1 behind us let’s take a look at
what could be the next big thing from Vertigo.
A team of black ops specialists are ‘killed off’
by the C.I.A., only they escape the trap that was
set for them. With a chip on their collective shoulders and an inside
tip on some shady deals within the C.I.A. it’s time to get
their own back and when you’re already ‘dead’,
there’s nothing to loose.
I first pictured this as a kind of 100 Bullets vibe
but more along the secret service line of things. What this first
issue opened my eyes up to is that it seems like this series is
much more action packed and movie-like than I ever imagined it would
be. Definitely not what most readers familiar with Vertigo’s
line of titles would expect, not that the other books in
Vertigo’s library don’t have there fair share of action
but this seems to be the king so far and it does it better than
most other comics out there.
Andy Diggle definitely pens this story like a movie
script as it’s filled with action,
spiced up with just enough dialogue and back-story to keep one informed,
and tied together with one helluva good overall storyline.
The Losers, the team of ‘dead’ agents, don’t go
down without a fight. Expect big action scenes
with even bigger toys and some of the most classic covert ops exploits
you’ve seen in ages. The team concept is well used in this
comic and even after this first issue you will start to see how
the individual units in the team work together to form a whole.
The characters seem interesting enough but it’s hard to give
solid judgement just yet. The team does seem a bit stereotyped at
this point. You’ve got the leader, the techie, the crazy,
the pilot, the chick and the loner. Although we’ve seen this
kind of thing in the movies all too regularly let’s hope that
Diggle fleshes out the characters in time and takes this book onward
and upward. There’s a lot of room for this comic to succeed
so let’s hope that it carries on from this good start. I must
add that I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes a movie deal
in the near future so watch this space!
The art by Jock [yep just Jock, that’s the
British for you :}] is reminiscent of that of Shaun Phillip’s
[Uncanny X-Men, Sleeper] work
on the current hit ‘Sleeper’. The lines
are hard and blockish and the colouring style used is fundamental
in nature. Although rough in form, the visuals do the job of portraying
the story nicely. I was impressed by Jocks ability to render some
great ‘tech’. In one scene he draws
an awesome double page spread of a military chopper
that just jumps off the page and smacks of reality.
This book’s story is not as dark as I expected it might be
instead it’s an action packed first issue
with some explosive scenes and a great overall plot. A lot of hope
for the future should it continue on its current path.
Score 9/10
Reviewed By:Iain Duncan
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Comic Reviews
