My issue arrived in the mail yesterday and it made for good-before-my-Saturday-afternoon nap reading. (That doesn't mean it put me to sleep; on the contrary, I enjoy a good read before a siesta.) The comic is in black and white (which might turn some folks off; it doesn't me, especially after reading Marvel's "Essential" books and Dark Horse's remarkable Aliens volume one series) and is illustrated by John Cox, artist at the Cox & Forkum editorial cartoon site. The script is by Sleet and Darius LaMonica (pseudonyms, by the way). I first discussed Matamoros here.
Chuck Sobietti is a sergeant who has been severely injured by an IED in Iraq. He's lost his right arm, and needs a new lung and liver. But he's not the least bit bitter -- he wants to know when he can get back into the field! The military offers Sobietti a recuperative alternative: He is a candidate for an experimental procedure that'll eliminate the need for the transplants, and might also regrow his arm. The middle of the book details the procedure, complete with the requisite "techno-babble," and soon Sobietti realizes that his operation has proved even more successful than his superiors had imagined. He heals incredibly quickly, and his physical prowess is better than ever, pre-injury even.
Shortly after this discovery came my first head-scratcher: Sobietti's colonel tells him that "the top brass has decided that it's time for your discharge." Two reasons why this doesn't make sense: 1) Sobietti's term isn't up yet (he has three more years of service), and 2) why wouldn't the military want to take advantage of Sobietti's miraculous recovery, either as a PR tool (if they don't know about his new abilities), or as a "special agent" (if they do know). In addition, since the Iraq conflict has been criticized for mandating multiple tours of duty and for over-reliance on National Guardsmen, why not take advantage of a guy who wants to get back into the game? Perhaps this all is a military ruse (it is only the first issue) and they'll call Sobietti back later. Maybe they want to see what he does "on his own."
The latter half of the issue details what Sobietti does with his post-service life. At first, he works for a contractor building homes. While at lunch at a local café (run by some Arabs), Chuck inadvertently overhears a conversation (he realizes his operation has also drastically improved his hearing) between two of the café's workers -- they're plotting a terrorist attack! Chuck takes it upon himself to follow the two dudes, using the "night-vision goggles and the infrared headlight from [his] stint" to assist him. Wow -- does the military actually let servicemen keep such equipment? Hell, even Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway (at left) excoriated Corporal "Stitch" Jones for apparently selling his Kevlar helmet to a local pawn shop for some quick cash!
Nevertheless, Sleet and LaMonica next offer excellent counters to the mainstream hard-left political pontificating that has become all-too common in the "funny books" lately. We see Sobietti making a phone call to the local police to report the terrorist plot he has uncovered. The cop's reply:
Disgusted by the labyrinthine procedures by which he'd have to even report the terrorist activities, Sobietti takes it upon himself to bust in on the terrorists' safe house. He discovers that the radical Islamists were in the final stages of putting together a plot to blow up buses in the middle of rush hour. Guess it's a good thing Chuck put a bullet into each of the baddies! This leads to a rush of media pondering this new "vigilante's" actions. Lawyer "Bill Ruby" (clearly patterned after lefty attorney Ron Kuby) invokes "Islamophobia" and rips the "vigilante" claiming that he could have planted the chemicals and other bomb-making materials, etc. The public reaction to Sobietti's actions is overwhelmingly positive; however, the ACLU intends to file murder charges against Chuck (should he be ID'd and subsequently caught, that is).
It would be easy to criticize Matamoros as taking an "easy" vigilante justice approach to terrorism. Like, why did Sobietti have to kill the terrorists? Wouldn't it be easier to injure them -- or just subdue them? But then ... they'd get a "show trial" where guys like the Kuby-analogue would paint everything the terrorists did as "innocent" and a mere "misunderstanding." Of course, the American system of justice is supposed to guarantee even the most heinous individuals their day in court, but Matamoros plays on how PC American justice has become in the post-9/11 world, as shown by the policeman's response to Sobietti's terror tip. It is Chuck who becomes the criminal for tracking and acquiring proof of an imminent terror attack.
It will indeed be interesting to see what happens in subsequent issues.
As for the overall comicbook experience, Sleet and LaMonica do a very good job at the scripting helm, especially considering they've before never written a comic. Cox's art is neither too cartoony nor realistic, which gives it an unusual visual appeal. The black and white gives the story the proper atmosphere.
Posted by Hube at April 6, 2008 11:48 AM | TrackBack