Brubaker and Phillips take a break from their Criminal series to bring us something closer to their previous collaboration on Wildstorm’s Sleeper.
This is a noir story in a universe populated with superheroes. A killer of the super-villain society was presumed dead, but in reality he was in a witness protection program. However he hates his new power-less life, so when he accidentally gets his powers back, his past catches up to him.
This could have been another crime mob story, instead Brubaker gives it a superhero twist. But it’s not a gimmick, the powers are essential to this story and the characters motivations.
The protagonist’s arc is to find who he is, and what he wants to do with his life. It’s a very compelling arc in the middle of many twists and turns, and lots of superhero action. There’s a lot to like here, so I can’t wait for them to create more stories from this universe.