Comic Reviewed by Will Cooling
Teaser: Its like Human Target as written by Mark Millar
Title: Brodie’s Law TPB
Plot by Daley Osiyemi and David Bircham
Dialogue by Alan Grant
Art by David Bircham
Colours by David Bircham and James Yuen
Lettered by Debo
Published by Pulp Theatre Entertainment
This review refers to Brodie’s Law issues 1-6. These will be including in the first Brodie’s Law Trade Paperback, released in August/September.
This review contains spoilers
Last year saw the launch of the first Brodie’s Law mini-series by Pulp Theatre Entertainment, a British Independent comic that set new standards in professionalism in terms of presentation, design and ambition. With a Diamond listing, “big names” such as former Slaine and Sinister Dexter artist David Bircham and the legendary writer Alan Grant on board and a launch at San Diego Con the extras were mouth wateringly good looking. Of course the most important thing had to be whether the actual product is any good.
Well, its my happy duty to say that yes, yes it is.
Brodie’s Law begins as a standard crime thriller Tarantino style with our “hero” being long time thief-with-a-heart Jack Brodie and the night that changed his life forever as tries to rescue his wife and then commits a burglar on a hi-tech, higher security lab owned by the mysterious P-Fact Corporation. By the end of the night he’s fighting for his life, the secret service are after him and he’s been framed for the murder of his
wife and kids. And it’s only going to get worse…
What follows in the immediate aftermath seems to be a usual crime story told in a style straight out of the Tarantino textbook. We see in Detective Harry Wade, the good cop with a past try to bring the “bad guy” partly for personally reasons. We see the mysterious, corrupt corporation pulling strings in the background with deadly results. And in Jack Brodie we see the framed fugitive add petrol to the flames as he attempts to get the advantage. The writing team manage to weave an impressive number of angles and motives even if the story conforms pretty much to type. However, the CD that Brodie stole is the ticking time bomb underneath this conventional crime/conspiracy story. You see it’s the CD that contains the secret to the shape-shifting powers that were the “hook” for much of the story’s advertising. When Brodie finally gets these powers, the story goes off the beaten track very quickly.
Like Peter Milligan’s excellent Human Target series Brodie’s Law probes how assuming another person’s identity impinges onto the impersonator’s mental state. However, with Brodie’s powers to assume not only the shape but also the mind-set of anyone whose DNA he absorbs the problems are times by a 1000. Daley Osiyemi and David Bircham really test this concept to the max with some wonderfully bizarre, even perverted scenarios that feel like refuges from a David Lynch movie. Not content with upping the intrigue on that level, the complexity of the conspiracy storyline is increased with a shocking and interesting ending.
The writing of Brodie’s Law is excellent on nearly all counts. The characterisation of the main characters with a cast of characters that all bare scares from a vividly told past. Jack Brodie is a well-rounded character whose contradictions make him believable. He’s man capable of acts of extreme violence but also of tenderness and empathy. Detective Harry Wade is a good straight cop, yet one that’s not afraid to break the rules nor one that is entirely pure from the seedier elements of society. The same is true of the other characters, all of who feel real in a very cinematic way. The action sequences are superb with kinetic fight and chase scenes bringing real dynamism and verve to the story. Alan Grant’s dialogue is excellent too, with his excellent ear for natural, unpretentious dialogue not failing him here. Finally, a bloody lot happens over the six issues with the frenetic pace making a welcome contrast to the decompressed style that pervades American comics.
However, what will undoubtedly grab most people’s attention is the excellent artwork of David Bircham. His style is bold and vivid has he plays everything to the max, whether it be simple character moments or high-octane action sequences. His style is in the rich tradition of the likes of Carlos Ezquerra who can do gritty, seedy even without becoming overly naturalistic or rigid. His layouts are equally excellent with as he dares himself to be ever bolder with some fantastically inventive work whether it be box panels, pages where action bleeds onto another panel or even whole page montages. Perhaps most eye-catching is his computer colouring as the neon-lit streets evoke exactly the right mood for the world that Brodie leaves in. Also, like his panel arrangement he’s not afraid to take ballsy moves, for example the imaginative use of monotone in panels. Luckily for him such gambles pay off.
Indeed, that’s what could be said for the whole series. Whilst there was some confusion over the solicitations what we got is a series that delivered an enthralling and engrossing story with some fantastic art. Definitely worth a look when the trade of the first mini-series comes out in the Autumn/Fall.
To find out more about Brodie’s Law visit www.Brodie’s Law
A big thank you for Daley Osiyemi for his help in providing materials for this review
