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SLEEPER #9
"For The Wicked"
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions imprint
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Colors: Tony Avina
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
Look, I've been watching the new TV season, and while I haven't seen everything yet (tonight's debut of Karen Sisco looks like the most promising new show), I can say this without a problem: None of the new shows are going to hold a candle to Sleeper, which is the best damn crime drama that could be on TV if we weren't all lucky enough to have it in comics instead. For every excuse not to read it, I have an answer. It's being cancelled? Nope, being relaunched, and hopefully the buzz it's getting now will mean bigger numbers then. I don't like the Wildstorm continuity? That's cool, there isn't any in here, if you've never read another Wildstorm book in your life it won't matter. It's nine issues in already? You're in luck, while this issue definitely plays off of previous stories for those who have read them, there is pretty much no way you couldn't come into this and know exactly what's going on. And more importantly, care about it. I'm waiting for the trades? This one is tougher, because I'm a "wait for the trade" man myself and this book is going to look sweet on a bookshelf. But the fact is, sometimes you gotta pony up for the books you love if you ever want to see the trades, and Sleeper is one of those. If you've never read this book, pick up Sleeper #9 this week. It's only three bucks, and I can pretty much promise you won't regret it.
If there's ever a Grant Morrison-type twist in Sleeper where the protagonist talks to his creator, Ed Brubaker better duck. Because he's put Holden Carver, undercover agent, into so many bad situations and forced him into so many compromises that the guy couldn't help but take a shot at him. This issue is another classic dilemma, and what's really beautiful about it is not just the absolute edge that Carver is having to walk but the fact that he's completely aware of it. He knows that he's potentially screwed, but he has to keep going along with things, playing the part until he can figure out what to do next, knowing full well that he could get killed even while he's trying to keep his cover.
As Carver himself notes, though, there isn't just a bit of irony or difficulty in his life, there's tons. He's out hunting down a mole (he's the only one in Tao's organization, maybe, who knows the mole is him) with his biggest rival. He's looking for evidence that will get him killed, and he's got to put enough effort into it or he'll get killed anyway. As if that's not enough of a bitch, the evidence is the only thing that can get him out of this kind of precarious situation, but if he does find it, there's pretty much no way he can salvage it. Brubaker once again puts Carver into a situation where he has to utterly screw himself in order to keep himself alive another day and hope against hope for another chance. It's beautiful plotting, and seeing the way Carver reacts to it is beautiful characterization. Not to be forgotten is the smaller characterization, as my favorite supporting character Genocide shows up for a funny and brutal cameo.
Then there's the artwork, and once again Sean Phillips and Tony Avina present the story in a gripping, shadowy but remarkably clear style. The weird, semi-emotionless world of these characters has to pose a challenge for an expressive artist, but Phillips makes it look easy, and you can somehow see the tension and worry in Holden's face even as he's keeping it concealed for everyone else. The story takes place in dimly lit backrooms and cluttered and dark junkyards, punctuated by the occasional eruption of gunfire and super-powers, and yet it's never so dark that you can't tell what's going on, that you can't read the action or the characters, even though the mood is impeccably established. The quiet moments and character-based stories give way easily to the fast-paced and exciting action sequences, and vice versa.
Sleeper is more than just a glimpse into the super-villain side of things or "Donnie Brasco meets super-villains," although either of those serves as a good bite-sized description of the book. Sleeper is to comics what The Sopranos was to TV, a breath of fresh air and a look at a familiar genre with a whole new pair of eyes.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
