brandonsears

This is some of the finest work I have ever read within the medium of comic books, and I say that without any hint of hyperbole. The team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are putting out a consistent stream of excellence through their work. I mean, you can't get much better than this.

In Sleeper, we meet Agent Carver. Carver is injected as an undercover operative into a secret criminal group with it's fingers in all things political. As Carver ascends to a pretty prominent position within the company, he continously lowers himself to the criminal level just to keep his true identity hidden. The only problem is that Carver has been entangled within this organization for so long that he begins to question which side he's on.

If that's not interesting enough, I'll gladly inform you that Carver is a post-human (which by the way, is my favorite name for mutants or superheroes). Unable to feel any pain and heal himself at a rapid rate, Carver also contains the ability absorb pain and weaponize it by injecting it into an adversary. While that sounds pretty unique, he's surrounded by individuals with their own unique powers - one of which forces a vision of images from your deepest, darkest fears leaving you paralized.

Everything about this book kicks-ass. From the language, to the artwork, to the characters (Genocide is awesome!) - everything just operates on such a high level. Like Criminal, Vol. 1: Coward and like Incognito, Volume 1, the action and violence here is both swift and brutal. Once again - and I can't say this enough - Phillips vision is both stylistic and gritty.

Can I also mention that I love the idea of calling this "Season One"? Why isn't this done more often?