COMIC BOOK REVIEW: "C.O.W.L. #5"

Writers: Kyle Higgins & Alex Siegel
Art: Rod Reis
Letters: Troy Peteri
Edits: Andy Schmidt
Back Matter Design: Rich Bloom
Cover: Trevor McCarthy
Logo: Eric Wright
Publisher: Image Comics

The fifth installment of C.O.W.L. takes place after weapons leaks from the Chicago Alderman's office, superpowered extortion rings are taken to task and a lot of internal issues have taken place inside of C.O.W.L. and the mayor's office.
In this issue, you get murders staged, arrests made and power asserted...not always on the right side. I'm trying very hard not to give any spoilers, because this site is a spoiler-free zone, but with this book, so much happens it's difficult to do!

I love that it's set where I lived, during a time when my great-grandparents actually did live there.
The writing is simplistic and perfect for this type of story, in this setting. I can hear the characters' individual voices in my head by now. Each issue has seen writers Mr. Higgins and Mr. Siegel grow into these characters and their disparate personalities.
The art by Rod Reis is just beautiful. The close ups of the characters gives the appearance of miniature portraits rather than comic book art.
Conspiracy, in-fighting and a cliffhanger ending that Errol make you long for issue #6 make this a can't miss comic! The best part? The recap. If you've just gotten into this book, you won't be lost (though I do recommend that you had over to your local comic shop for the back issues). You can jump right in with both feet and enjoy.
This is not your typical comic book, but it is the future of comics. If you liked Mr. Higgins' work on Nightwing for DC Comics, you will love C.O.W.L.!

5/5--excellent!

Purchase C.O.W.L. #5 on September 24th via:

Google Books (digital copy)

Forbidden Planet (physical copy by mail or in person if you live near NYC)

ComiXology (digital copy)

Or find your local comic shop via: http://comicshoplocator.com . That's always my preference!