C.O.W.L. #5 Review

Written by: Kyle Higgins & Alec Siegel

Art by: Rod Reis

Publisher: Image

With so many amazing comics being put out right now by Image Comics, it’s easy to understand how C.O.W.L. could fly under a lot of people’s radars—but that’s a shame.  C.O.W.L. (Chicago Organized Workers League) is a smart, dark, and moody comic set in 1962 Chicago.  Think of it as a mix of Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, and Powers.  That comparison may give you a good starting point, but what Higgins and company are doing in this comic stands on its own.  While politics and unions may sound a bit boring to some, this comic presents them in a way that keeps you interested and guessing throughout the story.

C.O.W.L. #5 closes out the series’ first arc in a heartbreaking and exciting way.  After this issue, everything will have to change moving forward.  You can tell that Higgins is loving every second of making this, which is his first creator-owned series.  The complete freedom to do whatever he wants to with his characters is evident on every haunting page—and trust me, he’s putting these characters through the wringer.  In the world of ’62 Chicago, where superpowers are a very real possibility, it seems that no one is going to emerge unscathed.  Great for readers, bad for the city though.

C.O.W.L., in the wrong hands, could have read like a bad impression of mobsters and politicians in a nondescript urban landscape.  Instead, C.O.W.L. is a fully realized world, which is especially impressive considering this is only issue 5.  Reis’ art and the dialogue work in sweet harmony, so that when a character says something seemingly banal, it actually carries great weight.  For instance, this beauty of a panel:

C.O.W.L.’s dialogue is razor sharp

My only minor complaint about this issue is the fact that some character motivations could be more fleshed out.  As readers, we certainly don’t need to be spoon-fed every detail, but there are some shifts and reveals that were a little too convenient.  I’m sure that moving forward we’ll learn more about these characters and their respective backstories, it was just a bit jarring for me to see some characters suddenly acting or behaving in ways that didn’t mesh with the first four issues.  I am being deliberately vague to avoid spoilers, but this is the only minor qualm I had with the book.

Do yourself a favor and read this series.  We need more books on the stands that are as nuanced and well-written as this one.  If you’re behind like I was, “pay your dues” and buy the trade when it releases on October 29th.