Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Classics: Lawdog #1

There are things about the comics companies I just don't understand.

For example: how can it be that Marvel and DC don't have writer Chuck Dixon or artist Flint Henry working for them?

Dixon is a terrific writer who does great work in every genre. Henry is an amazing artist, a true offspring of the great EC horror artists - he packs an amazing amount of detail in each panel!

A great example is their series Lawdog, which was published by Marvel's Epic line in 1993.

It was a story ahead of its time, a Quentin Tarantino film captured in the pages of a comic.

The story followed the mysterious man known as Lawdog, who drives a modified "monster" car along a mysterious highway that seems to veer through alternate dimensions - each one loaded with all kinds of extreme violence, monsters and assorted dangers.

It's basically a mix of Road Warrior, Doctor Who and Judge Dredd with a healthy dollop of horror tossed in.

There's even a "companion" thrown into the mix, but 'Lina isn't a delicate flower - she tough as nails and adventurous - and she has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Dixon brings all those elements together and creates a fresh, outrageous and compelling story, giving the reader mysteries to unravel, action to enjoy and entertaining characters to follow.

Henry's art is the perfect match for this story - he loads the issue with grisly zombies, intense violence, creative layouts, sexy women and crazed, kinetic action sequences.

The issue is a non-stop blast from start to finish, and well worth tracking down. (In fact, I'm surprised an enterprising film producer hasn't scooped this one up.)

Now, would someone at the big two get their act together and put these guys to work?

Grade: A-

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2 comments:

John said...

I really enjoy these 'Classics' reviews. You review comics that sometimes I've never heard about. Lawdog being one of those. I'm going to try and track this series Dow. How many issues were created?

Chuck said...

John, I believe "Lawdog" ran for 10 issues.