As I was about halfway through this debut issue, I was struck by a question: how is this at all different from the Punisher? I wondered if there was anything original about the concept that set it apart from Marvel's criminal-killing anti-hero. By the end of the issue, I had an answer to the question, and fortunately, Bruce Jones's Vigilante does offer something a little different than Garth Ennis does on The Punisher. That little something different is a mystery. The reader is left wondering who the Vigilante really is, and that leads to the question of why he does what he does. The script is shaping up to be a psychological thriller as opposed to an action/crime drama.
A man peeks inside the windows of Metropolis apartments, looking for young girls he can spy on and who can serve as his next prey. An abusive gangster forces a prostitute to service him in a dark and dangerous corner of the city. What do these two men have in common? They're both the most recent victims of a murderer who targets bad men and leaves a calling card behind each time. The police department's on-staff psychiatrist tries to get a handle on the killer's MO and identity, and she turns to a fellow psychiatrist in private practice who just happened to treat both victims before their deaths.
Ben Oliver boasts a stark, gritty style that suits the material quite well. His work reminds me of a cross between the styles of Ivan (The Rann/Thanagar War) Reis and Michael (Alias. The Pulse) Gaydos. There's no visual moment in this comic book, though, that really grabs the reader and demands his or her attention. The artist (backed up by the colorist) maintains the proper mood quite well, but he never wows me with the art. I like that this debut is a bit understated, but I found I was looking for something a bit more inventive as well (like what we see in Michael Golden's cover art).
The title character's targeting of criminals really isn't all that riveting, as we've seen this sort of thing before. However, Jones captures the depravity, sickness and cruelty of those targets quite well. The two characters killed in this issue are ones the reader want to see dead, but it will be interesting if we get to see the Vigilante go after criminals who aren't quite as extreme as the ones in this script. I'd love to see Jones test the reader's limits when it comes to the "hero's" values and ethical code.
The emphasis on the psychological side of the title character's story is one that helps to set this book apart. This doesn't seem to be so much about the Vigilante, but about the people woh are trying to figure out who he is. I'm hoping the tools of the trade will be those that allow the doctors to perceive invisible clues, hints as to the nature of how the criminal killer thinks. There's plenty of potential in this initial setup, but it's far too early to judge the overall strength of the series yet. 7/10
