Point Blank

Rating:
Summary: Excellent story that sets up SLEEPER
Review: For those of you currently enjoying Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' series SLEEPER for Wildstorm Comics, be sure to check out POINT BLANK, as this is where it all begins. The story: Gen13's John Lynch has been shot and is lying in a coma, and his old friend Cole Cash, WildCATs' Grifter, is out to find who's responsible. The trail goes through many different characters in the Wildstorm Universe, finally leading to a name: Holden Carver. Who is this man, what is his connection to Lynch, and how is the WildCATs renegade Tao involved? Brubaker's story is very creative: an intriguing study of how perspectives influence our perception of events. The end of this book was a surprise, but when I went back to the beginning, all the clues were there. I enjoyed Colin Wilson's art - good action sequences, plenty of depth and texture, and just the right amount of grime for this type of story. These characters are not pretty-boy superheroes with square jaws; rather, they are tired, weathered, and worn-out, just the way that someone in this situation should look.

I had intended on giving this book a 4, but in the end, I can't really find any faults with it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even more so than the first volume of SLEEPER. So start here to get into one of the best comics being published today. Also, if you'd like to add another step and get even MORE backstory, check out the Alan-Moore-penned WildCATs trade paperbacks "Homecoming" and "Gang War". These will get you up to speed on Cole Cash, Tao, and many other characters in POINT BLANK. Not that these two WildCATs volumes are essential to the story, just some additional info.


Rating:
Summary: Confusing
Review: The precursor to the Wildstorm hit Sleeper (at least for me), this tells the story of Lynch trying to extract Carver, and how Tao manipulated Grifter (aka Cole Cash) to get to John Lynch

The art is okay, and the story is nice Brubaker grittiness, but the whole thing was a bit confusing.. what happens is a very stupid question the reader has to ask himself at the end... read well in trade though. I got this from the library and I'm glad I did not purchase it

I think Wilson did some alternate covers but Simon Bisley ended up provided okay lookin painted covers (one of them is the cover of this trade)