Tower Chronicles Vol. 1 : Geisthawk (GN)

John Tower provides a service, a service that does not come cheap to those who can afford it. He’s a bounty hunter who specializes in a very unique prey, like the dead, the undead, the supernatural & basically anything that goes bump in the night. He’s also a man with a dark past, but looks to the future. A serial killer dubbed “The Piranha” has the city gripped with fear and the FBI stumped. Special agent Alicia Hardwicke is running out ideas and patience and seeks out the help of John Tower, but the only information on this individual is a mysterious website called “Geisthawk”.

The Team

Written by Matt Wagner (Grendel Omnibus Vol. 1 : Hunter Rose, Batman & The Monster Men, Mage HC Vol. 1 : The Hero Discovered), illustrated by Simon Bisley (Lobo : Portrait Of A Bastich, Slaine The Horned God), inked by Rodney Ramos & coloured by Ryan Brown. Cover by Jim Lee. Published by Legendary Comics

The Pros

This is a fun and cleverly plotted modern take on ghosts & goblins and the man who hunts them down. Sure, the set up is very familiar and has similarities to characters like Dylan Dog, Solomon Kane or even Hellboy, but still has some new bones to throw at us. John Tower is not your typical bad-ass monster/ghost hunter, he charges top dollar and gets results. He’s also incredibly cautious and his lawyer deals with his customers. What’s different about this character is the weapons at his disposal that would make the Winchester Brothers (Supernatural) green with envy, everything from a blade that can cut through energy to little balls of ecto mist that reveal any ghosts & garlic mace for those pesky vampires.  There’s a whole mixed bag of nasty creatures, like animals who possess people, “living” ghosts & vicious vampires (can’t have a monster slayer without vamps, right?).

The story is written by comic book veteran Matt Wagner, who knows a thing or two about knife wielding hunters, monsters & vampires. Just check out his work on Grendel and you’ll get the gist of it. This comic is the first from Legendary, the same company the produced fantastical movies like 300, The Dark Knight, Wrath Of The Titans and the upcoming Man Of Steel & Pacific Rim. The Tower Chronicles is the brain child of executive producer Thomas Tull & Matt Wagner, it’s the first time a film company develops a comic, instead of a comic turned into a film.

The illustrations are by Simon Bisley, who delivers some much appreciated blood & guts to this violent & gory tale. Fans of Bisley will be very satisfied with this new protagonist, he has Slaine’s fighting abilities, Lobo’s attitude (and his blade), a nasty scar over his left eye for some extra badness & a uniform worthy of Assassin’s Creed’s Ezio. With the help of inker Rodney Ramos & colourist Ryan Brown, the drawings sizzle with creepiness on every panel. Slap an awesome Jim Lee cover and you’re good to go.

The Cons

Now I’ll admit that this book is just a vehicle for Matt Wagner, the main character is not as deep as Grendel’s Hunter Rose or Mage’s Kevin Matchstick, but it’s damn entertaining nonetheless.

The Outcome

I loved the crap out of this book, but 7.99$ is a pretty hefty price, but it sure is one fine looking book that will please horror fans everywhere. Vol. 2 comes out in November 2012.