Mike Grell is one of those comic creators who seems to wander randomly in and out of the world of comics.Luckily, at the moment he's going through an "in" phase, as witness his return to DC's Warlord comic and the return of his classic character, Jon Sable, Freelance.
About the only character Sable can be compared to is James Bond - they're both "normal" men who happen to be extraordinarily good at getting into trouble, taking a lot of punishment, dishing out punishment, and finding a way to survive and solve mysteries along the way. They also attract more than their share of beautiful women.
This series is particularly hard-hitting, since it sits outside the old Comics Code restrictions. The violence is more brutal and bloody than before, and partial nudity is on display here.
It's a rougher fare than the original comic demonstrated when the character first appeared in 1983, but the stories are just as strong, the art is excellent and the characters just as compelling.
Like in The Warlord, Grell seems to be working hard to include every single supporting character from the comic's earlier run, but they're such an interesting bunch, it's hard to complain.
Here we find Sable in a tough spot - he's been captured by a mysterious group of thugs who are torturing him for information. The problem is, he doesn't have the information they're looking for. Or does he?
The mini-series has included some flashbacks to the origin of the character, so this series is recommended as a good jumping-on point (but only if you pick up the whole series).
The good news is, your local comic shop should be able to order all the issues of this mini-series if you've missed them - at least mine did. So far, this series is living up to the past run of the comic - and that's high praise, indeed.
Grade: A-
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